Bloody Roses
by yasha012
Summary: A century ago, there was a war that threatened to destroy the world. In order to save it, Sesshomaru sacrificed himself. He was never seen again. Kagome and Inuyasha hear rumors of a powerful demon that appeared recently in Japan long afterward. When they find out just who it is, she can't contain her joy. But he's no longer the person she once knew. Full sum inside. Read the A/N!
1. Prologue

**Full Description****: In order to save the world and everyone in it, Sesshomaru sacrifices himself. The two monstrous, humanoid beings who'd tried to destroy the world took him away through a dark portal leading into another world. He was never seen again. The world soon accepted the crushing fact that he was likely dead, and everyone moved on. Now, a full century later, Kagome and Inuyasha begin to hear rumors of a powerful demon that appeared recently in Japan. Supposedly, there was a huge explosion of sorts just days before people started seeing them, whoever they are. When Kagome and Inuyasha go to investigate, the result is anything but what they'd expected.**

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:**** This story takes place AFTER the final act. I'm also changing some major details of the anime/manga to fit the story. First of all, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru have NEVER tried to kill each other, nor have they fought over Tetsusaiga. They still weren't allies originally, though. Kagome and Inuyasha are NOT in a romance. Sesshomaru ONLY carries Bakusaiga, and Jaken DOESN'T exist. Also, Sesshomaru doesn't have ANY markings whatsoever, and only wears the kimono, armor, and shoes from the show. That means NO fluffy thing and NO yellow sash. Also, Kagura and Kanna were brought back to life. Kikyo and Bankotsu as well. Kikyo and Kagome have no quarrel and Bankotsu is now a good guy. Lastly, Rin DOES exist (along with Ah-Un), but they were never traveling with Sesshomaru. If you don't like any of this, don't complain. The solution is simple: if you don't like it, don't read it.**

One hundred years ago, something terrible happened. Something that no one likes to remember.

The existence of other portals (like my well) and thus the existence of other worlds had never really been considered, even after my time traveling experience. Such debates no longer mattered anyway on that day. There was no mistaking the fact that these other worlds did in fact exist. Worlds capable of supporting life.

I was with my friends the day it happened. Our group had grown considerably since the days of the Shikon Jewel and Naraku. Koga, Ayame, Hakkaku, Ginta, Kagura, Kanna, Rin, Ah-Un, Kikyo, Bankotsu, and Sesshomaru had all joined our group. Everyone was so happy then. Even Sesshomaru, who had so much unspoken pain buried away inside of him. Old wounds that would never get the chance to heal.

We were in a meadow that day. Shippo and Rin were playing tag together. It was a game I'd taught them. They'd wanted me to play with them, but I declined, since I was preparing lunch for everyone. Koga and Inuyasha were sparring a little farther off, shouting things at each other as they trained. Ayame was watching, wary that they'd end up hurting each other. Sango and Miroku were talking about what to name their first child, if they ever had one. Hakkaku and Ginta were dozing in the sunshine. Kagura and Bankotsu were sitting together having a pleasant conversation while Kanna picked flowers. Sesshomaru sat alone, watching the children playing. He seemed to be thinking about something, but there was no way for me to tell what.

I was just about to announce that lunch was ready when it happened. Dark clouds appeared in the sky, turning around in circles in the sky, almost as if a tornado was about to form. But there was no funnel cloud. It grew very dark. Very cold. A very sinister feeling crept up into my soul, and I shivered involuntarily. Everything seemed to stop then. The children stopped playing. Shippo ran over to me, since I was his mother, and Rin ran over to Sesshomaru, who'd saved her life several times before any us even knew she existed. He stood in front of her protectively, and I hugged Shippo close to my chest. Inyasha and the others unsheathed their weapons and moved closer together, hoping to ward off any possible attacks. That's when it happened.

A sinister lightning crackled in the sky. It struck the ground with so much force that the ground shook. Right were it struck, a glowing black ball appeared. It grew slowly, very slowly, until finally, a dark, menacing portal stood vertical at full height. An eight foot being could easily fit through it without having to duck.

We stared at it for endless moments, none of us believing what we were seeing. The only portal any of us had ever seen was the one in the Bone Eater's Well. None of us had ever guessed that more of the portals existed. They came out of it after what seemed an eternity. Two monstrous, humanoid beings that had the darkest auras I've ever felt. To this day, their evil has had no equal.

Nothing happened at first. The simply looked at us before turning and walking into the woods nearby. Many weeks later, we heard that a war had broken out between those two new beings and the demons of this world. Some humans had even joined the fight. We still don't know what triggered the war. All we knew was that our world was losing. Those beings could clone themselves, made exact replicas of themselves. Same strength, same intelligence, same everything. They were going to destroy the world. They said so themselves.

We weren't there when it happened. None of us know exactly what happened on the final day of the war. All we heard was that, in order to save the world and everyone in it, the one person I knew who had no reason whatsoever to want to save anyone surrendered himself. He sacrificed himself to save a world that had shown him nothing but pain and suffering. To save the lives of countless people who'd never wanted anything more than to see him dead.

That person was Sesshomaru.

They took him away, and he was never seen or heard from again.

That was a hundred years ago.

As much as it hurts, as much as I don't want to believe it, it's time for us to accept the truth.

He'd dead. Gone. And nothing will ever change that.


	2. The Blast

**A/N I forgot to mention this, but Kohaku's alive too.**

_Darkness and pain. Pain and darkness. Nothing else exists in this world._

_Have I always been here? Have I always suffered like this?_

_God only knows._

_All I know is that I'm tired._

_I'm tired of hurting._

_I'm tired of suffering like this._

_I'm tired of this awful curse known as life._

_I'm tired of not knowing what's real and what's false._

_I'm tired of everything._

One hundred years had passed since the war. Kagome, Sango, Rin, and all of her other human friends had extended their lives through a special demon ritual so they could continue to be with their friends. Kagome had just turned eighteen when they did this. Rin had just turned ten. Sango was also eighteen. So was Miroku. Kohaku was twelve. They all aged at the same pace as demons did now. They each aged in the same way as different demons, depending on which ritual they participated in. Miroku, Sango, and Kohaku aged like cat demons. Rin aged like a fox demon. Kagome aged like a dog demon. Her friends seemed to enjoy it, but she didn't. She only agreed to the ritual for their benefit, not her own. They'd wanted her to do it, so she did. But it was like torture to her. A constant reminder of the one she'd lost. Even though she'd accepted the fact that he was gone, it still hurt. It never stopped hurting.

She'd changed after he'd been taken away. She'd become very sad, very quiet. She was no longer hopeful, no longer optimistic about the future, or of anything. Inuyasha got frustrated with her easily when she refused to eat, or sleep, or do anything, really. He constantly called her "gloomy" and "hopeless" and a "waste of time". He always came back to her, though. Always tried to help her somehow. They all did. But for the longest time, she just pushed them all away. It was Kikyo who finally stepped in and told them to leave her be. That she just needed some time. The two of them had grown a bit closer after that.

After around six years or so, she seemed to come back to them. She was still sad, still hurting, but other than that, she seemed to be her normal self once more. Sango and Miroku got married and moved into a house in Kaede's village. Even thought the old priestess was no longer around, they still referred to it as that. They had two children together, a boy and a girl. They were expecting a third. Shippo was hardly seen anymore, since he was always out doing fox demon training. He still came by to visit every so often. Not suprisingly, Kikyo and Inuyasha had gotten married as well, much to his extreme embarresment and her extreme joy. They also had their own house. Much to his relief, since Kikyo had been dead for so long, she was no longer fertile, meaning they couldn't have kids. Whenever he acted up, she threatened to go out and adopt a child, maybe two. Koga, Ayame, Hakkaku, and Ginta all went back to Koga's tribe in the mountains. They stopped by once in a while to visit. Rin had basically been adopted by Kagome, and they shared a little house together. Rin was training to be a priestess like Kagome. Kohaku and Kirara traveled all over Japan, slaying demons who terrorized villages. Kagura and Kanna traveled together on her feather, enjoying their freedom. Bankotsu took off on his own to do some traveling and learn to be a scholar of sorts. Needless to say, that had surprised everyone. Life seemed to be good, for the most part.

Several years later, Kikyo decided it was high time that Rin was taken on a special trip meant for priestesses in training. It was a long trip where the priestess in training was taught how to harness their spiritual powers. Since Kagome had never been on this trip, Kikyo ended up taking her. The trip was supposed to last a year or so. Inuyasha and Kagome quickly became bored. Sango and Miroku were always busy with their family, and no one else was ever really there. That left the two of them alone. Finally, the two of them decided to go on a trip together. They were just going to travel for a few months, have some fun. Nothing dangerous or anything. Their minds made and her backpack packed, they set off.

That was two months ago. They were on their way back home. As they were passing through a village, they came across an older man. He was hysterical and trembling with fear. Inuyasha walked over to him.

"Hey." He said. "What's with you?"

"Inuyasha, be nice." Kagome said. "Can't you see he's freaked out?"

"Keh!"

She sighed and turned her attention to the man.

"What happened?" She asked. "Did a demon attack you?"

"No, no, no! You've got it all wrong! It wasn't a demon! It was some horrible monster! It tore open this black hole in the sky and everything just blew up! Everything was destroyed!" The man shouted.

"It sure doesn't look like it." Inuyasha commented, looking around.

Another villager spoke up.

"It didn't happen here. It happened mile and miles and miles away. Up north." He said.

"Those of us who survived moved here. The people here let us stay." Said a woman.

"That man's gone crazy. Been having nightmares about it for weeks." Said another man, looking at the elderly man who was now mumbling to himself and pacing back and forth.

"What did he mean when he say it tore open a hole in the sky?" Kagome asked. "Was it a portal?"

By now, nearly everyone knew about the existence of portals. Those who spoke of them were no longer considered crazy.

"Possibly. There's no way of knowing. He'd the only one who saw it." The man from before said.

Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a look, but said nothing. A black portal. An unidentified monster. Could it be? The same portal those two came from... She didn't dare let herself believe it. After they left the village Inuyasha spoke up.

"Think we should take a look?" Inuyasha asked.

"We were supposed to be heading home." Kagome said neutrally.

"Yeah, but no one's expecting us back for another month or so, anyway." Inuyasha replied. "What's the harm?"

The argued about it heatedly for days before she finally agreed to go check it out. It took several weeks to get to the blast sight. It appeared that the old man hadn't been exaggerating. There was a huge crater, miles wide, and miles deep. Everything around it was obliterated as far as they could see. Even the ground itself had been permanently damaged. The air smelled of scorched dirt, smoke, ashed, and the rotting flesh of those who hadn't escaped in time and hadn't been disintegrated by the blast. People and animals alike.

Kagome got off of Inuyasha's back and walked around slowly, taking in the awful scene. After a while, she couldn't stand to be there any longer. She had just started to walk back to him when she saw it. The blood. It was smeared on the ground, not far from the edge of the crater. It was a few days old, possibly older. She looked down into the crater and saw that, in the very center, there was a drying pool of blood. There was more on the inner wall of the crater as well. She called to Inuyasha, and he quickly walked over. He sniffed carefully, but was unable to determine a scent, since it was so badly mixed with the other smells hanging in the air.

After that, Kagome managed to convince Inuyasha to start heading home. On the second day of their return trip, it happened. The explosion that rattled the world.


	3. I Want to Help

_ It took several weeks to get to the blast sight. It appeared that the old man hadn't been exaggerating. There was a huge crater, miles wide, and miles deep. Everything around it was obliterated as far as they could see. Even the ground itself had been permanently damaged. The air smelled or scorched dirt, smoke, ashes, and the rotting flesh of those who hadn't escaped in time and hadn't been disintegrated by the blast. People and animals alike._

_Kagome got off of Inuyasha's back and walked around slowly, taking in the awful scene. After a while, she couldn't stand to be there any longer. She had just started to walk back to him when she saw it. The blood. It was smeared on the ground, not far from the edge of the crater. It was a few months old, possibly older. She looked down into the crater and saw the, in the very center, there was a drying pool of blood. There was more on the inner wall of it as well. She called to Inuyasha, and he quickly walked over. He sniffed carefully, but was unable to determine a scent, since it was so badly mixed with the other smells hanging in the air._

_After that, Kagome managed to convince Inuyasha to start heading home. On the second day of their return trip, it happened. The explosion that rattled the world._

The entire world seemed to shake with the force of the explosion. The ground seemed to be moving in waves beneath her feet. Kagome was certain that she'd gone deaf. She couldn't seem to hear anything but the blast now. She covered her ears in an attempt to block out the noise. Her eyes were already squeezed shut to escape the blinding white light. She could only imagine how bad it was for Inuyasha, what with his demonic senses and all. When it finally stopped, Kagome realized she was on the ground. She'd fallen on her butt at some point without even noticing. Inuyasha was also sitting on the ground, still covering his ears with his hands.

"My ears won't stop ringing..." He complained after a moment.

"Neither will mine." She mumbled in agreement.

She looked at him, blinking a few times as her eyes readjusted to the light.

"What in the world do you think caused that?" She asked, slowly standing up.

"I dunno..." Inuyasha said, also standing. "But now that I can fucking _hear_ again..."

He trailed off, listening intently to something she couldn't hear.

"What?" She asked. "Can you hear something?"

He nodded slowly.

"Yeah... It sounds like... A fight, maybe?"

She blinked in surprise.

"A fight?"

"Yeah."

"Can you tell who's fighting?"

He shook his head.

"No. The scents are unfamiliar. But I can tell that there's three of 'em."

"What do they smell like?"

"Two of them smell similar. Like dirt, corpses, metal, and... death. Some other things I can't identify."

Kagome shivered involuntarily.

"Death?" She asked, feeling horrified.

"Yeah. But not in the same way Kikyo did before. She just smelled like she was dead. They smell like death itself."

She shivered again.

"What about the third?" She asked once she'd managed to calm herself.

He paused for a long moment before responding.

"It's... difficult to describe. Whenever I smell it, the first word that comes to mind is darkness. But... not evil. Just darkness. Like being trapped in some horrible place without light."

Kagome didn't know what to think. Was it even possible for scents to evoke such thoughts? Apparently, it was. Inuyasha wasn't the kind of person to make these things up.

"And also..."

He paused for another long moment.

"Whoever they are, they smell like the blood from the crater."

Kagome's eyes widened.

"Then that means..." She started to say, her voice trailing off.

There was silence for a moment before Kagome finally voiced her complete thought.

"That means they're hurt..."

"What do you want to do?" Inuyasha asked her seriously.

She hesitated, thinking it over.

"Kagome?"

Finally, she looked up, meeting his gaze. Her eyes burned with a fiery determination that he hadn't seen in over a century.

"I want to help."

**A/N Sorry that this one's a bit shorter. I'll try to get some more action in during the next chapter. **


	4. My Long-Lost Friend

_"What do you want to do?" Inuyasha asked her seriously._

_She hesitated, thinking it over._

_"Kagome?"_

_Finally, she looked up, meeting his gaze. Her eyes burned with a fiery determination that he hadn't seen in over a century._

_"I want to help."_

Inuyasha sped through the trees, running as fast as he could in the direction of the fight. Every now and then, he picked up traces of a familiar scent, but it never stayed long enough for him to determine who or what it was. It was bothering him greatly.

"How much farther?" Kagome asked.

"Not much." He replied. "Another few miles or so, give or take."

Kagome was forced to remind herself that, for a demon, that was a short distance. She held her tongue to keep from arguing with him about how long or short a few miles really was. Just as they were about to enter the large clearing were the fight was currently at, there was another deafening explosion. They were both knocked to the ground by the sheer force of it, and she had a feeling that their close proximity to it probably hadn't helped. Just seconds after the blast died down, the fight resumed. They heard metal clashing for a moment before a loud noise sounded. It echoed throughout the suddenly still and silent air, giving the sound a rather eerie quality. Kagome scrambled to her feet and raced to the edge of the forest toward the clearing while Inuyasha pulled himself to his feet.

She reached the clearing. All oxygen fled from her lungs. She couldn't move. The entire world froze. She didn't even notice it when the fight resumed. Not until his voice snapped her out of it.

"Souryuuha!"

Instantly, the battlefield was torn apart by a giant blueish-white dragon forged of lightning. It was such a familiar attack, one that only _he_ could use, and it forced her to accept reality. It really was him...

Inuyasha stood beside her now, just as shocked as she was. And also just as happy and relieved. He was alive... After so long, they finally knew the truth. He wasn't dead. He was alive... And the two he was fighting... The same monsters who'd threatened the world before. The ones no one could defeat. Not even him. And yet, somehow, he'd beaten them this time.

As the attack died down, Kagome knew for certain that they were dead. The two he'd been fighting. For the first time, she became aware of the condition he was in. He was covered in horrific wounds all over his body, soaked in his own blood. He was breathing harshly, struggling to catch his breath. He shouldn't have been alive, and certainly not conscious, let alone fighting so fiercely. And his wounds... They weren't from any kind of battle.

Without thinking, she began to move toward him. He was still struggling to catch his breath, didn't even seem to notice her. For the first time ever, she saw him drop his sword. As she approached, she began to take notice of other things about him besides his wounds.

He seemed a bit a thinner. Like he hadn't eaten anything in years. Demons could go many moths without food, but _years_? That was extreme, even for them. And the clothes he was wearing... They weren't the same ones he'd been wearing before. The kimono and armor he'd always worn... He was wearing a simple, long-sleeved shirt, long pants, socks, and shoes. The were all black, as if the fabric itself had never seen the light of day. The clothes were made from something that looked very soft to the touch, offering little more than simple covering for a person's body. She knew she recognized the outfit from somewhere, but she wasn't quite sure where. Not only that, but, besides his sword, he was unarmed. That wasn't like him. He always had at least a dagger with him as well, just in case. But now...

She was so close to him now. If she reached out, she'd almost be touching him. For some reason, she stopped where she was. One single word escaped her lips, barely more than a whisper drifting in the wind.

"Sesshomaru."

He whirled around, shock and confusion registering in his eyes. She took in his defensive, almost hostile posture. The paleness of his skin. The severity of his wounds which seemed so much worse up close. And in his eyes... there was no recognition. Only hostility.

He no longer knew who she was.

**A/N I failed to make this one much longer. Sorry.**


	5. Beyond the Portal

_She was so close to him now. If she reached out, she'd almost be touching him. For some reason, she stopped where she was. One single word escaped her lips, barely more than a whisper drifting in the wind._

_"Sesshomaru."_

_He whirled around, shock and confusion registering in his eyes. She took in his defensive, almost hostile posture. The paleness of his skin. The severity of his wounds which seemed so much worse up close. And in his eyes... there was no recognition. Only hostility._

_He no longer knew who she was. _

She didn't know what to do. It was clear that he would attack her if she came any closer. She hardly dared to breathe, let alone move even so much as an inch from where she was standing..

_'What's going on? Why doesn't he recognize me?' _She wondered desperately.

After endless minutes, she finally found the courage to speak. She kept her voice soft and gentle, though she was unable to stop the desperation and hope that she was feeling from entering her voice.

"Sesshomaru... It's me, Kagome. Don't you remember me?" She asked quietly.

He said nothing at all. Didn't reply in anyway. He didn't even give any the nonverbal responses he'd always seemed so fond of. She blinked, and more despair instantly filled her heart. He was gone, sword and all. Inuyasha slowly came up to her.

"Kagome."

He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around so that she was facing him. He shook her gently.

"Hey, Kagome. Snap out of it."

She blinked slowly and looked up at him. His eyes reflected the same sadness and hopelessness that she herself was feeling.

"Kagome, you need to focus. We have to check this out." He said.

She looked at him in confusion.

"What?" She asked.

He pointed near where the two corpses lay. Just beyond them was a familiar black portal. She looked back to him in sudden understanding. If they were to ever know what had happened to their friend, why he no longer remembered them, why he was in such awful condition, and everything else, they needed to see what lay beyond the portal. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and they slowly walked over to the portal. She hesitated for a long moment before going through it. It closed behind her. Inuyasha could never follow her.

Going through the portal in the well was a wonderful experience every time. It was warm and safe and comfortable, and made her feel like she was flying. This portal was nothing like that.

It was dark and cold, and it felt like she was falling endlessly into nothingness. She screamed, but there was no sound to be heard. And she was alone. So very, very alone. And yet, despite that fact, she couldn't shake the feeling that some dark, menacing, unseen creature was watching her.

By the time she finally felt the ground beneath her feet, she felt as though she'd been trapped in that darkness and tormented for years. She sank to her knees, hugging herself and shivering uncontrollably. She had no idea how long she remained there before she finally managed to pull herself together. Taking a deep breath, she slowly stood up and looked around.

It was dark here. Not as dark as the portal, though. In the portal, she could see nothing. Here, now that her eyes had had time to adjust, she could see things. It was a bit difficult, of course, but she could see nonetheless. She looked around slowly, taking everything in. She was in some kind of a corridor. It was made completely out of stone. There were numerous spots on the walls where torches could be placed, and yet, she saw none. She swallowed a bit nervously and began to walk forward.

The corridor went on for ages. She felt as though she'd been walking for a very long time, and yet she still couldn't see the end. She continued going forward, and eventually, she came across a single old torch. It wasn't lit. She pulled it carefully out of the wall and rummaged through her backpack. She was glad that she hadn't taken it off before going through the portal. She pulled out a small lighter and, after a few attempts, finally managed to light the torch.

_'Much better.'_ She thought, satisfied that she could see better now.

She put her backpack back on and continued on her way. Eventually, the corridor came to an end. It led into a large room. There were many cages hanging from the ceiling, suspended by long, thick chains. There were all empty of any living things, though a few had skeletons in them. Some of them looked almost human. She shuddered and looked away. There wasn't much of anything else in the room. Just a few more cages resting on the ground and a few pools of long dried blood. Forcing herself not to look any longer, she walked through the room and entered another long corridor.

This one wasn't as long as the one before. However, it didn't end in a large room like the other one had. Instead, it branched off into two other corridors, one going right, one going left. She hesitated for a moment, deciding, before going left. She soon found herself entering another large, dark room. This one was much larger than the other one. She couldn't see the opposite end of it, even with her torch. Swallowing hard, she began to look around. This room was far worse than the other one. The floor was permanently stained crimson with blood. There were many cages hanging from the ceiling, and all around her on the floor were torture devices of all shapes and sizes. Some she recognized because she'd read about them in school, but many of them were foreign to her. Familiar or not, they were all horrible. And they'd obviously been used. Often.

She couldn't take it anymore. This place was horrible... She needed to leave. She had to get out of there. _Right now._ She was just about to turn and flee when she heard a tiny whimper, not unlike a small child's. She looked around, trying to locate the source. It sounded like it was coming from one of the many cages hanging above her.

"Is someone up there?" She called quietly.

Just then, one of the cages swayed a bit, as if someone had moved within it. A small voice responded to her call.

"Who are you? Are you another monster?"

"No... No, I'm not. My name is Kagome. My friend... He was trapped here too."

There was silence for a moment.

"He's probably not alive." Came the quiet reply.

"Yes he is. And so are you. Hang on just a minute. I'm getting you down." She said firmly.

"No! Don't!" The child was frantic, panicked. "They'll punish both of us!"

Kagome was quick to try to soothe the child.

"No they won't. They can't hurt anyone anymore. They're gone now."

"You mean... they're... dead?"

She nodded. Suddenly remembering that the child probably couldn't see her, she voiced her response.

"Yes. They are."

Suddenly, the child seemed much happier.

"Then that means... Daddy must be okay!"

_'Daddy? Who're they talking about?'_

Pushing her thoughts away for now, she focused on getting the child down.

"Is there a way up there?" She asked.

"Not unless you can fly. At least, I don't think. You might be able to climb up some of the longer chains though, if you're strong enough."

"I'll give it a try. Either way, I'm getting you down."

As Kagome was climbing up one of the chains nearest to the cage, the child spoke again.

"Why do you want to help me? You don't even know me."

In an instant, Kagome's mind flashed back to a similar conversation she'd had with Sesshomaru a very long time ago. It was about a year before he'd joined there group. He'd been severely injured during a fight, and she'd come to his aid when no one else would.

_"Why do you insist on helping me when you barely even know me?"_

_"It's true that I don't know you that well, but... I still consider you my friend. And friends help each other."_

Forcing herself to focus on the present, she replied to the child.

"Because I'm your friend now, and I refuse to leave you here in this awful place."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Friend...? _Me_?" The child asked, seeming shocked and confused.

"Mm-hm." Was Kagome's reply.

She reached the cage. She'd been forced to leave her backpack and torch below, so she couldn't see the child's face. The cage was already open, but the child had no way down. Not without help, anyway. Kagome dangled precariously in front of the cage, not daring to let go. She turned carefully so that her back was facing the child.

"Climb onto my back. I'll carry you down."

The child obeyed and carefully climbed on to her in much the same way as Kagome did with Inuyasha. It was difficult, but she somehow managed to get them both down to safety. The child climbed off of her back and she, after several attempts, managed to light the torch again. She could see the child clearly now for the first time. She was young, only about seven years old in demon years. Her hair was long, going down to the middle of her back. It was snowy white, but otherwise looked _exactly_ like Sesshomaru's. Her eyes looked just like his too, except they were white instead of gold. Her skin was also the same color. She was also wearing a simple black outfit, made out of the same material as his. A simple black dress that went halfway down her calves, black socks, and black shoes. She _knew_ that the outfits were familiar from somewhere, she just didn't know _where_.

"What's your name?" Kagome asked.

"Mizuki." She replied, her voice soft, almost wary. "What's yours?"

"My name's Kagome. How old are you?"

"Seven."

"I thought so... Where were you born?"

Mizuki blinked.

"I was born here." She said, as if it were obvious.

"Who's your mother?" Kagome asked.

"Mother?" Mizuki sounded confused. "I don't have a mother."

Now it was Kagome's turn to be confused.

"Surely you must. How else could you have been born?" She asked.

"What I meant was... I never knew her." Mizuki said, looking down.

_'Oh...'_

"So... who's your father then? I'd like to get you back to him, if I can."

Mizuki looked back up then, looking surprised.

"Surely you must have seen him when the portal opened. You obviously went through it."

"Yes, but it wasn't open when I first got there. It had closed again. It didn't reopen until after... after my friend left."

"Friend? The one you mentioned earlier?"

Kagome nodded.

"Come on, let's see if we can find a way out of here. We'll look for you dad once we get out of here."

"Okay."

Without another word, Kagome led the way back to where she'd been when she first appeared in this dark, horrible world. With any luck, the portal would be open again there.

"Rats." She said in frustration when they got there, only to discover another dark hallway.

"I don't know what you were looking for here." Mizuki said. "The portal rarely opens without the key."

"Key?" Kagome turned to her. "What key?"

"I heard it's some kind of a stone. An orb, maybe. It's filled with some kind of dark power, and it's round. That's really all I know."

"So why can't we sense it if it has so much power that it can open a portal?"

Mizuki shrugged.

"I dunno. Maybe it's protected by something."

"Maybe." Kagome sighed. "This is going to be harder than I thought..."

"Did you honestly think it would be easy?" Mizuki asked.

"Well, no..."

After wandering around for a while, they came across another room with more cages.

"This is where the strongest prisoners were. The cages earlier were for normal children only, since they were so small and weak compared to the other cages." Mizuki said, her eyes locked on one cage in particular.

"These don't look much better, as far as size goes." Kagome commented. "They look like dog kennels. Just... Stronger and more menacing."

"Kennels...?" Mizuki gave her a questioning look. "What're those?"

Kagome shook her head.

"Never mind." She said.

She walked over to the cage Mizuki had been fixated on earlier and saw that the door had been completely ripped off. It had been thrown clear across the room and now rested on some badly damaged torture device. Inside, there was a metal collar and two metal wrist cuffs. The were badly damaged, like whoever had been wearing them had torn them off. She touched one of the cuffs, and instantly felt all the strength, even her miko powers, get completely drained from her. Gasping, she let go of it and moved away.

"That's how those monsters controlled them. The prisoners who were strong enough to pose a threat." Mizuki explained quietly. "They drain all strength and and special powers from your body. And if anyone ever tried to take them off..."

Her voice trailed off.

"What happens?" Kagome asked.

"The collar strangles you. The cuffs emit this strange, electrifying energy. Even my dad could barely tolerate it." Mizuki said.

"That's awful..." Kagome murmured. "So how did he escape?"

Mizuki shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Did he abandon you?"

"No! He would never do something like that!" Mizuki exclaimed. "He tried to save me, but they... They beat him back. He had to flee. He couldn't battle them properly here, so he let them chase him out of the portal. But then it blew up for some reason... Now the portal can't be reopened from the outside. Not without the key."

"Is it possible that the key is out there?"

"If it was, he would've opened the portal by now... He might be looking for another way, though."

"Okay. We'll have to keep an eye out for the portal, then. In the meantime, do you know where the key is?"

"No, but I heard a few rumors. Someone said it's hidden somewhere in the heart of this place."

Kagome nodded.

"Okay, so how do we get there?"

Mizuki began walking.

"Follow me." She said over her shoulder. "We were rarely let out of our cages, unless we were being forced to work. We didn't work often, but we were let out often enough that I know my way around a bit. We were _never_ let out unless we were working. Or being... you know... _punished._"

Kagome nodded. She'd seen the torture devices. They'd obviously been used.

"What kind of work did you have to do?" She asked as they continued to walk.

"There were lots of things. Like making the parts for the machines that worked some of the Punishers." Mizuki replied.

"Punishers? Is that what you all called them? The torture devices, I mean."

Mizuki nodded. They walked on in silence. After a while, Kagome spoke up again. She was slowly putting the pieces together about Mizuki's heritage, about who her father was, but she wasn't sure of anything quite yet.

"So... are you a dog demon?" She asked.

"Uh-huh." Mizuki said with a nod.

"What's your dad's name?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know your mother's name, even though you've never met her?"

Mizuki shook her head.

"No. I just know that she was killed after I was born."

"Why?"

"Having children is forbidden. All mothers will be killed."

She sounded like she was reciting some rule that had been drilled into her since she was little. Well, littl_er_, anyway.

"So who fed you, and kept you warm, and protected you, and all those things a mother is supposed to do?" Kagome asked.

"Daddy did. He couldn't feed me, but he did everything else he could. He protected me as much as possible. He even took beatings for me when I messed up. They almost killed him once, because of me. But he always protected me anyway, despite the risk of torture and death." Mizuki replied.

"So that's how you knew he'd never leave you..." Kagome murmured.

Mizuki nodded. Kagome was about to say something else when she realized they'd stopped.

"Are we here?" She asked.

Mizuki nodded.

"Yeah, but... I don't see anything here."

"Me neither."

Kagome sighed.

"Come on... Let's look somewhere else."

"Okay."

Just as they turned to leave, Mizuki froze. She whirled around, her eyes fixated on something in the darkness, toward the center of the large room. She quickly walked over to where she was looking and moved several large stone. There was a hole in the ground, and she reached down into it. Seconds later, she pulled out the key. Kagome gasped and ran over to her.

"You found it!"

Before Mizuki had a chance to reply, it began to shake violently. She dropped it and they both quickly moved away from it. The whole room was shaking now, and the torch blew out, filling the room with darkness. There was a violent wind, and suddenly, the portal opened.

**A/N I made this one extra long for you guys, so enjoy!**


	6. What Did You Find?

_Just as they turned to leave, Mizuki froze. She whirled around, her eyes fixated on something in the darkness, toward the center of the large room. She quickly walked over to where she was looking and moved several large stone. There was a hole in the ground, and she reached down into it. Seconds later, she pulled out the key. Kagome gasped and ran over to her._

_"You found it!"_

_Before Mizuki had a chance to reply, it began to shake violently. She dropped it and they both quickly moved away from it. The whole room was shaking now, and the torch blew out, filling the room with darkness. There was a violent wind, and suddenly, the portal opened._

"How did it open?" Kagome asked, forced to yell over the roar of the wind.

"I don't know! I must have activated it somehow!" Mizuki replied, also having to yell.

Kagome grabbed her hand and began to pull her toward the portal.

"Come on!" She yelled. "This may be our only chance!"

They hurried toward the portal, fighting against the fierce winds. When they finally managed to get into the portal, they jumped into without hesitation, despite how much Kagome was dreading the feeling of being tormented for so long while going through it. This time, however, there were no menacing feelings, no awful experiences. Just the dark and cold and the feeling of falling endlessly into nothing.

After what felt like years, they began to hear something. It was faint at first, barely able to be heard amidst the nothingness, but gradually growing louder, more understandable.

_"Kagome!" _

Kagome's eyes widened.

"Inuyasha!"

She reached her hand out (just as she always did when coming out of the well) her other hand still holding onto Mizuki, and waited. Hoping, _praying_ he could reach her. Reach _them_. She felt like crying with sweet joy when she felt his hand grasp hers. Using all the strength he could muster, he pulled them out of the portal and into the light. Mizuki sat on the ground, shaking slightly, her eyes squinting as they struggled to adjust to the, by comparison, _extremely_ bright light here. Inuyasha frowned at her and turned to Kagome.

"Who's the brat?" He asked. "Why'd you bring her here?"

"She's not a brat." Kagome said, crossing her arms.

"That doesn't answer my question." Inuyasha replied.

Mizuki slowly stood up and spoke for herself.

"My name is Mizuki." She said. "And you are...?"

"Keh! I don't have to answer to you!" inuyasha announced defiantly.

"I believe it is proper to give one's name after demanding that another person do the same." Mizuki said calmly.

Kagome was instantly reminded of Sesshomaru. The way she'd spoken just now... It was just like how he spoke to Inuyasha sometimes when Inuyasha started to get on his nerves. Inuyasha, however, didn't seem to make the connection.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?!" Inuyasha demanded, clearly getting annoyed.

"I told you already." Mizuki replied.

"Inuyasha, stop being such a pain." Kagome said in annoyance. "I've had a long day, and I _don't_ want to deal with it."

"_Day_?!" Inuyasha asked in complete disbelief. "Kagome, it's been almost two weeks!"

Kagome's eyes widened.

"T-two _weeks_?"

_'Was I really wandering around for that long?'_

In complete darkness, without any sun or moon to guide her, she'd lost track of time. It had been so easy, like time was meaningless, worthless, nonexistent. She sighed heavily.

"Fine. Whatever. Either way, I want you to stop acting like she's a freaking monster or something. She's just a child, and she's obviously not an enemy if I'm with her."

He gave a great bug "_huh"_, but otherwise didn't reply. After a few minutes of tense silence, he spoke again.

"We should make camp." He said. "It's getting dark."

Kagome nodded in agreement and they set about making a small camp for the three of them. Kagome got a fire going, and immediately she saw how intrigued Mizuki seemed to be by it. She smiled and waved her over. Mizuki hesitated.

"It's not going to hurt me, is it?" She asked warily.

Kagome shook her head, still smiling.

"Not unless you touch it." She said. "Come on over here. It's warm."

The possibility of getting warm seemed to be all it took to convince her to come over. Once she was seated, Kagome began to cook some fish Inuyasha had apparently caught earlier that day. Mizuki ate half of the twelve fish by herself, and even then, she was still hungry.

"Did they ever feed you there?" Kagome asked.

"Rarely. Enough to keep those of us who were useful alive. Nothing more." Mizuki replied. "But Daddy would give me all of his food whenever he could. I didn't like taking it from him, but he always insisted."

She smiled a bit.

"I really like this food. It's not cold and flavorless like the stuff we used to have." She said.

Kagome returned her smile with ease.

"I'm glad you like it." She said. "Do you want some more?"

Mizuki looked at her wide-eyed.

"I can really have more?" She asked hopefully.

This seemed to tug at Inuyasha's heart. He knew what it was like to starve as a child, and he always sympathized with hungry children.

"Yeah. I can always get more later." He said, trying to make it seem like he didn't care.

Kagome, however, knew better. Though they'd had a bad start, he seemed to already be growing fond of the little girl Kagome had rescued. Mizuki ate happily, and for a while, it was silent. Then Inuyasha spoke.

"What did you find there?" He asked, his gaze directed at Kagome. "Did you find any clues about him?"

She glanced at Mizuki before replying.

"Possibly, but... Can we talk about this later?" She asked.

She didn't voice the rest of her sentence. She didn't need to. Inuyasha already understood.

_After she's asleep._

He gave a curt nod in response. They didn't have to wait long. The combination of food, warmth, and safety seemed to be more than enough to lull Mizuki to sleep. She was curled up in a ball and sound asleep next to Kagome by the fire when Inuyasha spoke again. His voice was a hushed whisper, barely loud enough to be heard. He was obviously trying not to wake her.

"So?" He asked.

Kagome sighed softly.

"That world... It's horrible, Inuyasha. Worse than any place I've ever been. Even the inside of Naraku's giant spider form was more pleasant. And you know full well how awful _that_ was." She said.

He blinked, waiting in silence for her to continue.

"It was so dark there. There was no light at all. Not anywhere. And yet, somehow, I could still see. My eyes just seemed to know how to adjust. Like I'd been there before, and my eyes remembered what to do."

Inuyasha tilted his head slightly at her description, but said nothing.

"There were so many long corridors, leading into so many different rooms all over the place. I only saw a few, but..."

She fell silent, losing herself in some thought before shaking her head, pushing the thought away.

"In the first room... there were cages. Lots and lots of them, hanging from the ceiling by these thick chains. Some of them were empty, but the others..."

She shuddered.

"The others had skeletons. Some looked... almost human. Some of them hadn't completely rotted away yet. It was awful. And there were dried up pools of blood on the ground. All over the ground, everywhere I looked. Honestly, I pretty much sprinted into the next corridor."

She swallowed a bit, gathering herself, before continuing.

"The second room.. it was worse. Much worse. There were torture devices everywhere, as far as the eye could see. They'd obviously been used. A _lot_. And the floor... it was stained forever with blood."

Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"I was pretty much ready to run away back the way I came when I heard Mizuki. We spoke for a minute before I climbed up one of the chains hanging from the ceiling and got her down from her cage. When I told her about how those two monsters were dead, she got excited, saying her father must be alive because they were dead."

_"Hang on just a minute. I'm getting you down." Kagome said._

_"No! Don't!" The child was frantic, panicked. "They'll punish both of us!"_

_Kagome was quick to try to soothe the child._

_"No they won't. They can't hurt anyone anymore. They're gone now."_

_"You mean... they're... dead?"_

_She nodded. Suddenly remembering that the child probably couldn't see her, she voiced her response._

_"Yes. They are."_

_Suddenly, the child seemed much happier._

_"Then that means... Daddy must be okay!" _

"We started talking, and she told me how she was born there, in that place. Her mother was killed when she was born, and her father cared for her and protected her in any way he could. He even took beatings for her when she messed up."

_"He couldn't feed me, but he did everything else he could. He protected me as much as possible. He even took beatings for me when I messed up. They almost killed him once, because of me. But he always protected me anyway, despite the risk of torture and death." _

"She doesn't know her mother's name, or her father's. But... I think I know who her dad is now." Kagome said, smiling softly at the small child next to her.

"Who?" Inuyasha asked.

She didn't reply. Instead, she continued with her story.

"Mizuki also told me of some sort of key. One that was supposed to open the portal. That's how we escaped. While we were looking for it, we went into another awful room. It had more cages, some on the ground, hanging from the ceiling. She said that they were for the stronger prisoners. They looked like those dog kennels we've seen in my world, just stronger and scarier. They also had these collars and wrist cuffs that drain your power when you touch them. They hurt you when you try to get them off. There was one cage that Mizuki was fixated on, one with it's door ripped off and the collar and cuffs laying inside of it. I think it may have been her dad's."

_"This is where the strongest prisoners were. The cages earlier were for normal children only, since they were so small and weak compared to the other cages." Mizuki said, her eyes locked on one cage in particular._

_"These don't look much better, as far as size goes." Kagome commented. "They look like dog kennels. Just... Stronger and more menacing."_

_"Kennels...?" Mizuki gave her a questioning look. "What're those?"_

_Kagome shook her head._

_"Never mind." She said._

_She walked over to the cage Mizuki had been fixated on earlier and saw that the door had been completely ripped off. It had been thrown clear across the room and now rested on some badly damaged torture device. Inside, there was a metal collar and two metal wrist cuffs. The were badly damaged, like whoever had been wearing them had torn them off. She touched one of the cuffs, and instantly felt all the strength, even her miko powers, get completely drained from her. Gasping, she let go of it and moved away._

_"That's how those monsters controlled them. The prisoners who were strong enough to pose a threat." Mizuki explained quietly. "They drain all strength and and special powers from your body. And if anyone ever tried to take them off..."_

_Her voice trailed off._

_"What happens?" Kagome asked._

_"The collar strangles you. The cuffs emit this strange, electrifying energy. Even my dad could barely tolerate it." Mizuki said._

_"That's awful..." Kagome murmured. "So how did he escape?"_

_Mizuki shrugged._

_"I don't know."_

"After that conversation, I asked her if he'd abandoned her. She got upset and immediately told me that he would never do something like that. She also told me how he'd been forced to flee out of the portal so he could fight those two properly."

_"Did he abandon you?"_

_"No! He would never do something like that!" Mizuki exclaimed. "He tried to save me, but they... They beat him back. He had to flee. He couldn't battle them properly here, so he let them chase him out of the portal. But then it blew up for some reason... Now the portal can't be reopened from the outside. Not without the key."_

"I asked if it was possible that they key was out here, in this world, and she said that if it was, he would've opened the portal by then. But she also said that he could've been looking for another way. Then she told me about how she'd heard rumors that the key was in the heart of that place. While we were walking, she told me about how they rarely let out of their cages, and that, when they _were_ let out, they were forced to labor for those two. Making parts for the torture devices and stuff... But she'd apparently been let out enough that she knew her way around a bit."

_"Is it possible that the key is out there?"_

_"If it was, he would've opened the portal by now... He might be looking for another way, though."_

_"Okay. We'll have to keep an eye out for the portal, then. In the meantime, do you know where the key is?"_

_"No, but I heard a few rumors. Someone said it's hidden somewhere in the heart of this place."_

_Kagome nodded._

_"Okay, so how do we get there?"_

_Mizuki began walking._

_"Follow me." She said over her shoulder. "We were rarely let out of our cages, unless we were being forced to work. We didn't work often, but we were let out often enough that I know my way around a bit. We were never let out unless we were working. Or being... you know... punished."_

_Kagome nodded. She'd seen the torture devices. They'd obviously been used._

_"What kind of work did you have to do?" She asked as they continued to walk._

_"There were lots of things. Like making the parts for the machines that worked some of the Punishers." Mizuki replied._

_"Punishers? Is that what you all called them? The torture devices, I mean."_

_Mizuki nodded. _

"And there's one more thing." Kagome said.

"What's that?" Inuyasha asked.

"She's a dog demon."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. Immediately, all the pieces fell into place.

He knew who her father was.


	7. Come With Us?

**A/N Something I forgot to clarify before is that Sesshomaru has BOTH of his arms. Just thought I'd mention that before people started asking me.**

_"And there's one more thing." Kagome said._

_"What's that?" Inuyasha asked._

_"She's a dog demon."_

_Inuyasha's eyes widened. Immediately, all the pieces fell into place._

_He knew who her father was._

"Kagome. Kagome, wake up. Hey! Get up, will you?"

"W-Wha...?"

Kagome sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily, and looked around. She looked at Inuyasha in confusion.

"Inuyasha, what's the matter?" She asked. "Why did you wake me up so early?"

It _was_ early. _Way_ too early, in her opinion. The sun was barely beginning to rise, and she wanted nothing more than to go to back to sleep.

"She's gone."

Kagome's eyes widened.

"_What_?"

"You heard me."

Kagome was immediately on her feet, looking around wildly, as if it was her own child that had gone missing during the night.

"What happened? Where'd she go?" Kagome asked frantically.

Inuyasha shrugged nonchalantly, hardly seeming to care.

"I don't know. She was gone when I woke up."

"Can't you pick up her scent anywhere?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha scoffed.

"Of _course_ I can. But I didn't think you'd appreciate being left behind." He said.

"Well come on then! Let's go!" Kagome said, grabbing her backpack and climbing on his back.

He grunted when she climbed on.

"Maybe you shouldn't have eaten all those fish last night." He muttered.

"Shut up and mush, dog." She said grumpily.

Biting back a retort, he took off in the direction of Mizuki's scent. About ten minutes later, he spoke up.

"Hey, Kagome? We may have a problem." He said.

"What's that?" She asked.

"Do you remember that fox demon who taught Shippo for a little while a few years back?"

"The one who got kicked out?"

"Yeah. The womanizer."

"What about him?"

"He's in the area."

"So?"

"So, _his_ scent's mixed with _her_ scent."

Kagome gasped.

"You don't think...?"

Inuyasha nodded.

"I think he may have grabbed her."

Kagome's aura flared fiercely.

"If he lays one hand on her, I'll purify his ass into oblivion!" She growled.

Inuyasha sighed.

"I swear, you're acting like her freaking mother or something." He muttered.

She ignored his comment. She was far too worried about what was going to happen to the little girl she'd become so close too.

Mizuki squirmed in her captor's arms, using every bit of strength she had to try to escape. However, being so young, she didn't have much strength to call upon. By a demon's standards, anyway. Had her kidnapper been a human, she would've been able to escape no problem. But since they were a demon...

Demon children and babies were always considered easy prey by other demons, due to their lack of strength. They were killed off by the thousands every year. That was the main reason why there were so few demons compared to humans. _Not_ because demons were unable to love, like humans believed. In fact, demons loved far more than humans ever could. They felt deeper than any mortal being. Humans often didn't understand that however, and simply stuck to the idea that demons were evil and unfeeling. That was part of the reason why humans hated half-demons almost as much as regular demons.

"Let... me... _go_!" She yelled, still struggling.

"Shut up, you little brat! You should be thankful I haven't killed you yet!"

It was a man's voice. Immediately, she began to panic. She didn't trust men. Other than her father, of course. Those two monsters... The ones that had tortured, and beaten, and killed nearly everyone in that world... They had been men. That was why she didn't trust any man but her father. Feeling like she was about to cry, she began to scream for help, calling for the one person she knew would come and save her.

"_DADDY!_"

Sesshomaru completely froze. That voice... There was no mistaking it. It was her. But how? How was she here? The portal had closed... Shoving all his thoughts away for the time being, he raced toward her. She was in danger. He could feel it. And she was crying. She never cried. Except that one time... The time he'd almost died during one of the most severe punishments he'd ever received in that place. He pushed the horrible memories away and raced as fast as he could toward her. He refused to let anything else happen to her ever again. She'd suffered enough.

"Daddy!" She cried. "Daddy help!"

"Shut up!" The man yelled. "SHUT UP!"

He threw her to the side, slamming her into a tree. A tiny yelp of pain escaped her lips and she scrambled to her feet. Without thinking, she began to run.

_'Daddy, please hurry!' _

"Inuyasha, what's that?" Kagome asked, pointing to a bright light that had appread about a mile or so ahead of them.

Before he had a chance to reply, there was an explosion. The unmistakable scent of fox hit his nose.

"He's attacking!" Inuyasha replied.

"Attacking what? The only other person there is Mizuki!" Kagome said.

"I know, but I think she got away from him! He might be trying to kill her!"

"What are you waiting for, then?! Get going! And hurry!"

Without another word, he took off again. He just hoped they'd make it in time. Before he killed her, or _worse_. That man... He'd seemed like a good teacher at first, until Shippo discovered what he'd been doing to all the innocent young women and girls he'd managed to get his perverted hands on. That was why he'd been driven out. And now, he was about to claim yet another innocent victim. Inuyasha refused to let that happen.

"Damn it! I missed!" The man yelled angrily.

Mizuki didn't dare to stop. There was something _wrong_ with this man, though she couldn't quite place what. She wanted to keep running, to go faster, but she was out of breath. Her legs were already sore and stiff with cold from running through the snow. She felt exhausted and couldn't seem to catch her breath. Finally, when she slipped into the snow, she was too tired to get back up right away. She lay there panting for a moment before hauling herself to her feet and running again. She didn't get very far before a knife came racing past her, pinning her dress into a tree next to her. Another one soon followed, pinning her sleeve as well. She struggled to pull them out, but they were wedged deeply into the frozen bark of the massive tree. She was still struggling to pull them out when the man appeared.

"You're quite the energetic one." He said, smirking. "I like that."

His voice sounded strange to her ears. It was thick and full of desire. But for what? And what was with that strange look he was giving her? As if she were some meal to be devoured... He started coming toward her. He moved slowly, clearly not feeling any need to rush. She began to panic again and resumed her struggle to remove the knives so she could escape. He was close now. _Too_ close. He reached out to touch her cheek, and she closed her eyes tightly.

_'Daddy... Where are you?'_

Before he had a chance to even so much as graze her cheek with his fingertips, something slammed into him. _Hard. _He was sent flying and slammed into a large rock, spine first. The wind was completely knocked out of him, and he lay there motionless, struggling to inhale, to exhale, to do _anything_. Mizuki opened her eyes slowly, as if unsure whether or not it was safe to do so. Her eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and pure joy.

"Daddy! You came!" She cried happily.

He turned to her, relief flooding into his eyes.

"Of course I did." He said before pulling the knives out of the tree, thus freeing her.

She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug. He kneeled down and hugged her back for a moment before pulling back a bit.

"Are you okay?" He asked seriously.

She nodded, smiling at him.

"Uh-huh." She said.

Relief flooded into his eyes once more.

"Good."

He stood up, lifting her into his arms with ease. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. She hadn't felt this safe in a long, _long_ time. It was nice feeling. Before she even realized it, she was asleep, having given into her exhaustion.

Still holding her protectively in his arms, Sesshomaru peered in the direction that the man had been flung in. For several long moments, the man continued to lay there motionless. Sesshomaru knew that the fight wasn't over yet, though. The man was still alive. Stunned, but alive. Really, he was lucky that that blow to his spine hadn't at_ least_ paralyzed him... Finally, the man began to move. Seemingly with great effort, he hauled himself to his feet. He glared at Sesshomaru, looking as though he thought some hard-earned prize had been stolen from him.

"Who... the hell... are you?" He asked, still breathing a bit harshly.

Sesshomaru returned his glare, though his was far colder and more hateful than any glare that man could conjure up.

"None of your business." He replied.

"Damn cocky, aren't you?" The man asked, finally seeming to get over his shock from the earlier attack.

Really, that had been nothing more than a love-tap compared to what Sesshomaru was really capable of. However, the man seemed completely unaware of just how doomed he was. He stood straighter, clearly preparing himself to fight. Sesshomaru tensed, also ready to fight. It would be difficult since he was still holding Mizuki, but he could hold her in one arm. That was better than nothing.

"You'll pay for taking my prize away from me." The man said. "It was damn hard getting her away from those two without being detected."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed slightly. Who was he talking about?

"I'll kill you first." The man continued. "Then I'll reclaim my prize..."

He unsheathed his sword and charged. Sesshomaru tensed further, ready for battle, when suddenly, his opponent was attacked from the side.

"WIND SCAR!"

In an instant, the man was obliterated, leaving nothing behind but large section of ruined ground behind. Still tense and extremely wary, Sesshomaru looked in the direction the attack had come from. He heard what sounded like a sword being sheathed and, moments later, Inuyasha and Kagome appeared.

He recognized Kagome, somewhat. She was the one that had spoken to him that day... When he'd beaten those two monsters... Inuyasha, however, he didn't recognize at all. He hadn't seen Inuyasha at all before, and he'd been far too focused on other things to notice either of their scent's that first time. This time, however, he payed attention. Memorizing them, just in case.

Kagome slowly approached him, wary of scaring him off again. Of course, she knew better than to think that she'd scared him before. He watched her every move, seeming ready to bolt at any moment, but he didn't move. He simply watched her, clearly wary of her. She stopped about ten feet in front of him, making sure to give him plenty of space. Inuyasha stood a ways off, watching them both intensely. She looked him over slowly, taking in his appearance. He looked better now than he had before. He still hadn't completely healed yet, though, and it seemed as though he hadn't treated his wounds at all. None of them were even bandaged. She didn't understand why he hadn't bandaged them at least. He knew how to clean and bandage a wound. Or at least... He _used_ to. Was it possible that he'd forgotten that as well? She was suddenly pulled from her thoughts when she heard him speak.

"How do you know my name?" He asked quietly.

He seemed less hostile than before. Less hostile, but more confused. He didn't understand how she could possibly know something like that. She looked at him sadly.

"Because I know _you_." She said. "And you know me. Or at least... You _used _to. We were friends."

He frowned slightly. The word was foreign to him, and yet, at the same time, strangely familiar. He grew more confused. She smiled softly at him. She seemed... Sad. Though he couldn't explain why.

"You don't remember much, do you?" She asked softly.

Her words struck him hard.

_'How does she...?__'_

Then he remembered what she'd said just a few minutes before.

_"Because I know __you_. And you know me. Or at least... You _used _to. We were friends."

Was that really true? Did she actually know him? Had he, at one time, known _her_? Had they been... _friends_? He didn't know. Everything was so confusing... He didn't know what to think, what to believe.

Kagome reached out a hand toward him, smiling hopefully.

"Come with us?"

He hesitated. Why should he? What reason did he have to trust them? None other than the fact that Mizuki obviously had. After a long moment, he took a small step toward her. He made no move to take her hand, but she understood. He'd come with her. At least for now. She smiled a bit wider than before and allowed herself a tiny flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, there was still a chance of bringing back the friend she once knew.

_"There's no need for you to be alone anymore. I'm your friend now. I won't let you be lonely anymore."_

_"Why? Why do you care so much about me?"_

_"Because I'm your friend." _

**A/N For those of you who couldn't tell, that was a brief memory at the end there. **


	8. Screams and Moans

**A/N By the way, I went back and fixed a**_**ton**_**of typos from the earlier chapters. I don't think I missed anything, but if anyone notices any typos anywhere, please let me know.**

_Kagome reached out a hand toward him, smiling hopefully._

_"Come with us?"_

_He hesitated. Why should he? What reason did he have to trust them? None other than the fact that Mizuki obviously had. After a long moment, he took a small step toward her. He made no move to take her hand, but she understood. He'd come with her. At least for now. She smiled a bit wider than before and allowed herself a tiny flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, there was still a chance of bringing back the friend she once knew._

It was well past midnight. Camp had been made several hours ago, and Mizuki and Inuyasha were both sound asleep. Kagome had tried to sleep, but had failed to achieve anything more than a light doze. Sesshomaru didn't even attempt to sleep. He was sitting with his back against the tree, watching over Mizuki as she slept. It was clear that he was very protective of her, and he was obviously reluctant to let her out of his sight, even for a short while. Kagome watched him for a while before speaking.

"You're both safe here, you know." She said quietly. "You don't have to be on guard all the time."

He didn't reply. Honestly, she hadn't expected him to. Undeterred, she continued to speak.

"You're still badly hurt." She murmured.

He glanced at her, but said nothing. Why did she care? It wasn't like it affected her at all...

"Will you at least let me bandage your wounds?" She asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

He was quiet for a moment before finally speaking.

"Why do you even care?" He asked, not looking at her.

He was looking down at the ground now, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Like I said before, we used to be friends. We still _are_ friends." She said.

He still didn't understand, but he let her bandage his wounds, though he was very reluctant to do so.

While she was bandaging one of his arms, she continued speaking softly to him.

"Who was her mother?" She asked curiously, glancing at Mizuki.

Sesshomaru was quiet for a moment before replying.

"I don't remember." He said finally, frowning slightly.

"What _can_ you remember?" She prompted, hoping he would continue to talk to her. "Can you remember anything from before... you know..."

Even though she didn't explain what she meant very well at the end, he seemed to understand. He was quiet for a long time, looking at the ground and still frowning slightly before he finally answered her.

"I remember flying." He said quietly.

His gaze was distant, and she could tell that some complete memory was struggling to surface, but for some reason, was unable to do so. She smiled softly at him.

"You used to love to fly." She murmured. "I remember watching you sometimes. You always looked so happy, so free... You really enjoyed it."

He didn't reply, seeming lost in thought. She finished bandaging his arm and moved on to his other arm.

"Do you remember anything else?" She asked.

He was silent. Finally, he just shrugged. Worried that she might be pushing him too hard, she focused on bandaging his wounds. When she was finished, she spoke up again.

"There's a village a few days away from here." She said. "Maybe we can get you two some new clothes."

He thought for a moment before nodding. New clothes would be nice. Especially since their current outfits had so many bad memories attached to them. Plus the were in bad shape, and offered no protection whatsoever. She smiled at him, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Okay. We'll head for the village after everyone's had enough rest." She said.

He nodded again.

"And Sesshomaru..."

He looked at her. It was still so strange... Knowing that someone besides himself knew his name. He hadn't heard his name in so, _so_ long before she'd said it that day... His own name sounded almost as foreign to him as the word "friend".

"Please try to rest. You don't have to sleep, but... rest?"

He hesitated for a long moment before giving in. There was really no point in resisting, anyway. After all, he _was_ pretty worn out... Satisfied that he'd agreed, Kagome went back to her make-shift bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.

When everyone was finally awake, Kagome got another fire going so she could cook breakfast. Something about the fire seemed to put Sesshomaru on edge, and she wasn't sure why.

_'He was tortured.'_She reminded herself. _'They could have burned him before. That might be why...'_

Once again, Mizuki ate most of the food by herself. Her happiness seemed to rub off on everyone, and even Sesshomaru relaxed a bit. It was hard for him not to feel a bit better, knowing that she was safe and happy now.

"You should try some, Daddy!" She said, looking at him with a wide smile on her face. "They're really, really good!"

He shook his head, though Kagome saw some happiness shine in his eyes. The fact that Mizuki was happy definitely seemed to be having a good effect on him. Still, she was troubled that he wouldn't eat. Had he been so badly starved that he no longer had any appetite? She'd heard of that happening to people before. Sometimes, after the hunger pains stopped, a person lost their appetite completely. She made a mental note to try to coax some food into him later. When everyone was done eating, Kagome spoke up.

"Mizuki, how would you like some new clothes?" She asked with a smile.

Mizuki's eyes went wide with a mixture surprise and excitement.

"New clothes? Really?" She asked excitedly.

Kagome nodded.

"Wow! Can I get a new socks? And new shoes? And a pretty new dress?" Mizuki asked, practically bouncing up and down in her excitement.

"Uh-huh. I have a lot of money, so we can get you the prettiest dress you want." Kagome said with a smile.

Mizuki tilted her head to the side.

"What's money?" She asked.

Sesshomaru also seemed curious, and she realized that he didn't remember.

"Money is basically what we use to get things like food, clothes, and other stuff from people. It's basically just trading, but we call it buying. Some things cost more more money than others, but like I said, I have a lot." She explained to both of them.

She noticed with a smile that Sesshomaru had grown bored during her explanation. That wasn't anything new. In the past, he'd grown bored easily, _especially_ when someone was giving a lengthy explanation of something uninteresting. It was nice to know that some things hadn't changed.

It took a few days to get to the village. When they finally got there, both Sesshomaru and Mizuki immediately grew wary. Neither of them had realized there would be so many people... Mizuki stayed close to Sesshomaru, clutching his pant leg with her small hands. He stroked her hair reassuringly, though it was obvious that he was just as wary as she was. For the first time in quite a while, Inuyasha spoke.

"Don't worry, it's perfectly safe here. I've been to this village before, and everyone's pretty nice." He said, not looking at either of them.

Kagome had a feeling that he was speaking more to Mizuki than his brother. There had been a sort of chill between the two of them, she hoped Inuyasha didn't make things worse.

When they got to the first clothes shop, Mizuki seemed to completely forget her previous wariness. She squealed in delight and immediately began to look at all the dresses, even the ones that were far too big for her.

"They're beautiful..." She breathed, completely in awe.

The owner of the shop, a young woman with long black hair and an elegant dress, approached her.

"Yes they are. Would you like one?" She asked, smiling at Mizuki.

Mizuki looked at Kagome hopefully.

"Go ahead. Pick out whichever one you like." Kagome said with a small smiled.

Before long, Mizuki found one in her size that she absolutely loved. It was a beautiful silvery-white silk dress. It didn't have any patterns or special decorations, but she looked beatiful in it. She also found a lovely pair of silver sandals to go with it. Kagome purchased them for her and promised to help her change into them later. She folded the dress up for her and Mizuki held it, along with her sandals, closely to her chest. She exited the store and joined Inuyasha, who was sitting outside the store. Sesshomaru was standing out there as well, and Mizuki ran over to him to show him what she'd gotten. He smiled a little and said something to her that made her smile brightly. Kagome walked over to him, feeling very happy. His smile had completely brightened her day, and she felt happier than she'd felt in many years.

"Come on." She said. "It's your turn."

He hesitated for a brief moment before following her into another clothing store. He was uninterested in the clothes, for the most part. His only concern was replacing the ragged clothes he had now. Beyond that, he really didn't care what he wore. They were just clothes, after all.

"How about this one?" Kagome asked.

He looked at the kimono she was holding up. It looked almost _exactly_ like his old kimono, just with black patterns instead of orange. Plus there wasn't any armor. He shrugged, not really caring either way. She continued to walk around, looking for something he might actually like. After a short while, she came across an outfit that was similar to the one he was currently wearing. A simple long-sleeved black shirt, long black pants, and simple black shoes. Much more durable than his current outfit, and she knew that, if he really wanted it, they could always buy some actual armor for him later. She showed the outfit to him, and he seemed to like it better than the kimono.

_'Maybe it's because the kimono's so..._flow-y_. Especially the sleeves.'_She thought. _'Or maybe it's just because he's used to this sort of outfit now.'_

Shrugging it off, she purchased it for him and they walked back outside. When they were back out in the forest, Inuyasha set about making a camp while Kagome took Mizuki away into the privacy of the tree to help her change. Sesshomaru went elsewhere to change as well. Kagome helped Mizuki slip her dress and shoes on, and was awestruck at how beautiful she looked. She seemed to glow in the soft light of the moon. She'd never looked more beautiful.

"Does it look okay?" Mizuki asked.

Kagome smiled.

"You look _beautiful_." She replied.

Mizuki returned her smile and they headed back to camp, leaving the old clothes behind. Sesshomaru was already there, sitting several feet away from the fire. Mizuki immdiately went over to him to show him her dress. He nodded approvingly, and she smiled brightly. Not long afterward, Kagome decided it was time to make food. She dug around in her backpack and pulled out the last few packs of ramen noodles she'd taken from her time before she'd left her home time for good. She was thankful that the kind she'd grabbed didn't expire. Plus she had enough for everyone here. Inuyasha's ears perked when he saw what she'd pull out, and she had to stifle a giggle. He looked so funny! Mizuki tilted her head slightly.

"What's that?" She asked.

"This is Ramen. It's food from my world." Kagome explained.

"You're not from this world?" Mizuki asked, sounding shocked.

Kagome shook her head.

"No, I'm from about five-hundred or so years in the future." She said. "I came to this world through a light blue portal in an old well."

"You mean the bone-eater's well?" Mizuki asked.

Kagome was surprised, to say the least.

"You know about it?" She asked.

"Not really. I mean, I _sort_of do." Mizuki said. "I've heard the name before from someone. I don't remember who, though."

"Huh. The kid's smarter than she looks." Inuyasha said.

Kagome and Sesshomaru both shot him dirty looks, and he wisely shut his mouth. Mizuki didn't seem to be paying attention.

"Does it taste good?" She asked, looking at the ramen.

"_I_think it does." Kagome said. "But everyone has different opinions. You'll never know until you try it for yourself."

"Okay! Can I have some?" She asked.

Kagome smiled.

"Of course you can." She said. "But I have to cook it first."

When it was finally done, she made sure everyone else was served before letting Inuyasha have some. As she'd expected, he ate everything that was left in no time flat. Sesshomaru still refused to eat. She sighed softly. He needed to eat just as much as Mizuki did, if not more so. So why wouldn't he?

"They used to poison the food." Mizuki said later that night, as if she'd read her thoughts. "I don't think he's ready to trust that the food here is safe yet."

"I thought he was immune to poison." Kagome said quietly, glancing at Sesshomaru.

He'd finally dozed off, and she didn't want to wake him.

"He is, but only to the poison from the world in which he was born." Mizuki said. "That's how it works with certain kinds of immunities. Just like, for example, demons are only immune to illnesses in _this_world. Not that world."

"So... Since you were born in that world, the illnesses and poison has no effect on you?" Kagome asked.

Mizuki nodded.

"I also inherited Daddy's immunity to the poison's and illnesses in _this_ world." Mizuki said. "I'm lucky."

"Is this part of the reason why they didn't want any children born there?" Kagome asked. "Because there were less ways to make them suffer?"

Mizuki nodded again.

"I was lucky. I'm the only child they didn't kill." She said quietly.

"Why did they spare you?" Kagome asked.

Mizuki looked up at her, her eyes neutral.

"Because I was useful." She said simply. "And Daddy always made sure I had enough food and water, so I was stronger than the other kids."

"He takes really good care of you." Kagome murmured.

Mizuki nodded, smiling softly. The neutrality faded from her eyes.

"Thank you for helping us." She said.

Kagome returned her smile.

"You're welcome." She murmured.

Before long, they were both asleep.

Kagome woke up the next morning to the sound of a horrible shrieking. All she could hear were these awful screams and moans, echoing throughout the forest. Inuyasha was pretty much knocked out by the deafening sound, but Sesshomaru and Mizuki were both wide awake. They were both sitting in the same spots they'd been in when they were sleeping, their eyes shut tightly and their ears covered with their hands, trying to block out the sounds. They were both visibly trembling. Mizuki was crying a bit.

Sesshomaru's mind was racing as horrible memories began to surface in his mind. Memories of hearing people being slowly killed, making sounds so much like the ones he was hearing now. No matter how much he tried to block them out, he couldn't. He felt himself begin to tremble, and no matter how hard he tried to stop, he just couldn't. It was so horrible, and he wished it would just stop already. How was this even happening? There was no way. Unless...

Finally, the noise stopped and Kagome was able to climb to her feet. She was still a bit off balance from being temporarily deafened, but she forced herself to walk. It took a long time to coax the two of them out of their (more-or-less) fetal positions. They were both badly shaken up, and she couldn't figure out why. What about that had been so frightening? Sesshomaru seemed even more shaken up then Mizuki did. Kagome wondered why for a brief moment before she remembered.

_'He was the one who was tortured, not Mizuki. He could probably hear other people being hurt, too. They probably sounded a lot like that...'_

She also noticed that he seemed to know what had made those awful sounds. But before she had a chance to ask, they were attacked.


	9. Back Into the Past

_Kagome woke up the next morning to the sound of a horrible shrieking. All she could hear were these awful screams and moans, echoing throughout the forest. Inuyasha was pretty much knocked out by the deafening sound, but Sesshomaru and Mizuki were both wide awake. They were both sitting in the same spots they'd been in when they were sleeping, their eyes shut tightly and their ears covered with their hands, trying to block out the sounds. They were both visibly trembling. Mizuki was crying a bit._

_Sesshomaru's mind was racing as horrible memories began to surface in his mind. Memories of hearing people being slowly killed, making sounds so much like the ones he was hearing now. No matter how much he tried to block them out, he couldn't. He felt himself begin to tremble, and no matter how hard he tried to stop, he just couldn't. It was so horrible, and he wished it would just stop already. How was this even happening? There was no way. Unless..._

_Finally, the noise stopped and Kagome was able to climb to her feet. She was still a bit off balance from being temporarily deafened, but she forced herself to walk. It took a long time to coax the two of them out of their (more-or-less) fetal positions. They were both badly shaken up, and she couldn't figure out why. What about that had been so frightening? Sesshomaru seemed even more shaken up then Mizuki did. Kagome wondered why for a brief moment before she remembered._

_'He was the one who was tortured, not Mizuki. He could probably hear other people being hurt, too. They probably sounded a lot like that...'_

_She also noticed that he seemed to know what had made those awful sounds. But before she had a chance to ask, they were attacked._

Kagome's eyes widened in shock.

_'A... A... Dragon...?'_

She'd only ever seen one before, and that was Ryuukotsusei. But he was old and, in hindsight, pretty small and weak for a dragon. And dragons were _extremely_ rare, even in this era. Well, the giant species of dragons, anyway.

_'There's something ominous about it... It has a black aura. Does that mean...?'_

She looked to Sesshomaru, searching for confirmation. Without a word, he simply nodded. It was from _there._ From _that_ place. She swallowed hard. Just how many awful creatures had escaped through the portal? And _when_, for that matter? Suddenly, it spoke. It's voice was deep and menacing, and it's eyes glowed red. They were filled to the brim with hatred in evil. The red eyes combined with the pitch-black skin made it seem much more terrifying.

_"You should have never escaped."_ It said, it's eyes locked on Sesshomaru. _"Now you shall suffer the consequences."_

They barely managed to get out of the way in time. Sesshomaru scooped both of the girls up before leaping out of the way. Luckily for Inuyasha, he was just far enough away to be safe for a while. When they landed, he let them both go.

"What do we do, Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked quickly. "I don't think my arrows will do any good, and-"

"Run." He said simply.

"Huh?" She asked in confusion.

He turned and looked at her seriously.

"Run." He repeated. "Both of you."

She understood what he was going to do. He was going to fight it on his own, while they escaped. She hesitated for a long moment before going up to him, kissing him on the cheek, grabbing Mizuki, and taking off.

Sesshomaru stood there shocked for several moments before forcing himself to snap out of whatever daze he'd fallen into. If he was going to win this fight, he needed to focus. Drawing his sword, he approached his opponent. No matter what, he was determined to win. He had a reason to live again. Two of them.

Kagome continued to run, Mizuki in her arms, determined to find a safe place where they could hide. Mizuki clung to her, still trembling from before. The dragon roared suddenly, and the ground shook violently at the sound. She turned and looked at it. It's mouth opened again, only this time, another sound came out. More horrible screams and moans... Sounds that sounded as if they came from actual people. Almost as if the dragon was a parrot, simply repeating it's master's words. She turned and ran again, but something told her stop. Obeying the strange instinct, she stopped and turned again. Standing there was a strange man. One that she'd never seen before. There was something off about him... She didn't trust him one bit. He lifted his hand and pointed his right index finger at her.

She sensed it a split second before it happened. She grabbed Mizuki and forcefully threw her to the side as far as she could. She saw her land a large pile of snow just the blast hit her and she was enveloped in darkness.

When she finally regained consciousness, her first conscious thought was, _'I have no idea where I am.'_

She looked around somewhat groggily. It was dark and damp. It smelled bad. Like rotting... rotting... rotting _something_. It was cold. Her head hurt. It was possibly she had some sort of minor concussion. She couldn't hear anything. It was so silent she felt as though she could've heard a pin drop from a mile away. She sat up, though she immediately regretted doing so. Her whole body hurt. It felt as though she'd just fallen off of something high up. She was almost certain that she was covered in bruises. She stood up and started to look around some more. She was just about to start walking somewhere when she heard a voice behind her.

"I don't remember seeing you here before."

She spun around and searched the shadows. She saw nothing.

"Why aren't you wearing your assigned outfit? It's right there in front of you."

"Assigned outfit?" She asked. "What are you talking about?"

"You're new here, aren't you?"

The person sighed.

"They're the clothes that everyone has to wear. Everyone's given a random outfit in their size. Each outfit's different, so they can tell people apart."

"They? Who's they?"

"The people who control this place. The people that are now your masters. If you don't do what you're told, when you're told, and do it _perfectly_, you'll regret being born."

She gulped.

"Or worse, you'll end up like him."

Suddenly, she saw a hand pointing across what appeared to be a cell across the hall. She walked to the edge of her own cell and looked over. A broken, bloody form lay in the darkness. They weren't moving, didn't seem to be breathing.

"What happened...?" She asked quietly, hardly daring to ask.

"Dunno. Word is that he was stupid enough to fight 'em. The masters. Don't know how, but I guess they got 'im. Didn't kill him, though. Instead, they decided to punish him, make him suffer. They been torturing him for a long time. First time I seen him over a year. Poor guy's not dead yet, though. I feel kinda sorry for him. Almost wish they'd just put 'im out of his misery. That's never gonna happen, though."

Kagome shuddered at the thought of what he'd been going through. And for what? She didn't think anyone, no matter how horrible, deserved to suffer like this. Suddenly, two dark shapes moved toward her cell. They opened the door and grabbed the person who'd been speaking to her. As they dragged him away, he shouted at her.

"Do as you're told! Have no sympathy for others! If you want to live, you must be _cold_!"

_'Cold? How could I ever be cold? I care too much for others to just cast them aside and act as though they're lives are expendable.' _

After a long time of sitting alone in the darkness and staring at nothing, she decided to look at her "assigned outfit". She figured she may as well, since she had nothing better to do. She stood up and walked over to it. Now that her eyes had finally adjusted, she could see it for the first time. Her eyes widened in shock and she stumbled back a step. It was her old outfit... Her old school outfit that she always used to wear. She was about to back away from it and go back to her corner when she suddenly realized just how badly damaged her current outfit was. It was completely ruined, and barely covering her up where it really counted. How had she not noticed before. Quickly glancing around to ensure that no one was there to see her, she changed clothes. It even had her old shoes... The entire outfit, right there.

_'Is this some kind of joke to you?!'_ She demanded the gods, whom she imagined where probably getting a kick out of her predicament.

The gods just _loved_ her, didn't they? It sure didn't feel like it sometimes. She was about to grumpily stomp back to her little corner and sulk when suddenly, she saw movement in the corner of her eye. She spun around, ready to kill whoever had been spying on her while she was changing, when she realized that the person in the cage across from her was getting up. He started to push himself up from the ground with his arms, and some of his long hair spilled over his shoulder. Kagome's eyes widened when she saw silver amidst all the darkness.

"Sesshomaru!" She cried, running to her cell door.

His eyes blinked open and looked at her. He'd managed to move into a sitting position, and now looked at her silently, his eyes clouded over with a mixture of pain, exhaustion, and confusion.

"Kagome...?" He finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

She nodded, fighting back tears of joy. He was alive...

"How did you-"

He broke off coughing, and Kagome was alarmed when she saw that he was coughing up blood.

"Shh! Don't try to talk!" She said urgently.

Much to her relief, he didn't try to argue. Instead, he seemed far more focused on trying to stay conscious. Meanwhile, Kagome's mind was racing.

_'He remembers me? But how? I mean, I know I told him my name before, but... For a moment there, I thought I saw genuine recognition, like he actually remembered _me_.'_

Her eyes widened in shock as realization hit her.

_'Oh-no... I'm back there again... Only this time... In the past!'_


	10. The New Rule

_She spun around, ready to kill whoever had been spying on her while she was changing, when she realized that the person in the cage across from her was getting up. He started to push himself up from the ground with his arms, and some of his long hair spilled over his shoulder. Kagome's eyes widened when she saw silver amidst all the darkness._

_"Sesshomaru!" She cried, running to her cell door._

_His eyes blinked open and looked at her. He'd managed to move into a sitting position, and now looked at her silently, his eyes clouded over with a mixture of pain, exhaustion, and confusion._

_"Kagome...?" He finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper._

_She nodded, fighting back tears of joy. He was alive..._

_"How did you-"_

_He broke off coughing, and Kagome was alarmed when she saw that he was coughing up blood._

_"Shh! Don't try to talk!" She said urgently._

_Much to her relief, he didn't try to argue. Instead, he seemed far more focused on trying to stay conscious. Meanwhile, Kagome's mind was racing._

_'He remembers me? But how? I mean, I know I told him my name before, but... For a moment there, I thought I saw genuine recognition, like he actually remembered me.'_

_Her eyes widened in shock as realization hit her._

_'Oh-no... I'm back there again... Only this time... In the past!'_

The next few weeks were hell. Not because she was getting hurt, but because _he_ was. Every time he regained consciousness, they dragged him away to be tortured again. Seeing him suffering like this was too horrible for her to bear. _His_ suffering was _her_ suffering. It was horrible.

One day, after he was tossed back into his cell again, those two came and dragged _her_ away. she was terrified, but she refused to show it. Her eyes shone with defiance. She would_not_ give in to these monsters. She would _not_ submit! They beat her for her defiance, then put her to work. She labored with countless other nameless, faceless people until she finally collapsed from exhaustion. This resulted in another beating, and more labor. When it was finally over, she was tossed back into her cell like a rag doll. She didn't care. So long as she could sleep, even for just a few minutes...

Kagome woke with a start. She glanced around, slightly confused, until she finally realized where she was. Back in her cell. "Safe". At least for now. She figured that she'd probably collapsed on the job again. She _did_ vaguely remember being hit... How long had she been here? Six months? Seven? She wasn't entirely sure. She sat up, ignoring her aching body, and peered across the hall. Sesshomaru was back in his cell too, and she smiled when she realized he was awake.

"Sesshomaru!" She called softly.

His eyes snapped open and he silently moved to the edge of the cell. She did the same.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice laced with worry.

She smiled a little wider.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just got whacked a bit." She said. "I guess I got tired and fell asleep or something."

"What are they making you do?" He asked. "You don't normally tire out so quickly.

"We're making more rooms and cells and things. Moving giant slabs of stone and metal and whatnot." She replied with a tired sigh.

He frowned slightly.

"More cells?"

She nodded.

"Yeah. I think more prisoners are coming in soon. That's probably why they're rushing us so much."

She looked him up and down.

"What about you?" She asked. "Are you okay?"

He looked away.

"Fine." He said simply.

He frowned at him.

"No you're not. What did they do?"

He hesitated.

"Sesshomaru."

"Nothing."

"Stop lying."

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I care."

Before either of them had a chance to say anything else, there was a loud sound followed by a great deal of shouting. Suddenly, those two monsters came running down the hall. They practically tore Sesshomaru's cell door off and dragged him away. He fought against them, but it was no use. All it would so was ensure a much more horrible punishment for whatever they though he'd done.

She wasn't sure how long she just sat there, waiting for him to return. It felt like years, though she was sure that it was only a few hours. After all, there was no way they's ignore her for that long, especially when there was work to be done. Sure enough, after a while, she was dragged off to do some more back-breaking labor. She wisely held her tongue, though there were many scathing comments she would have like to say to her supposed "masters".

When it was finally over, she was tossed back into her cell. She was barely conscious. She vaguely heard someone speaking to her, but it took a moment before her mind was really able to register what they were saying.

"New rule: From now on, there will be two prisoners in each cell in order to save room. Failure to follow this rule will result in a most painful death. _If_ you're lucky."

She tried to stay awake, but no matter how she tried to fight it, she couldn't stop herself from slipping into the darkness. Next thing she knew, she waking up to the sound of her name.

"Kagome."

Someone shook her.

"Kagome. Wake up."

They shook her again. She mumbled some sort of protest, and they shook her again.

"Wake up."

She blinked her eyes open and looked at them groggily. Her eyes widened.

"S-sesshomaru?" She asked, now wide awake.

They both stood up.

"How did-? How are we-?" She asked in complete disbelief.

"The new rule." He said simply.

She sighed happily and threw herself into his arms. He stiffened for a moment before slowly allowing himself to hug her back.

"I'm so glad... Now we don't have to be alone anymore..." She murmured.

Without any warning, she leaned in and kissed his lips.


	11. Bloody Kisses

**A/N JUST A FAIR WARNING! There is some sensual detail in this chapter, but there is NO LEMON. If you want, you can skip that part. Also, I would like to thank everyone for their reviews! I greatly appreciate your support. Anyway, enjoy!**

_When it was finally over, she was tossed back into her cell. She was barely conscious. She vaguely heard someone speaking to her, but it took a moment before her mind was really able to register what they were saying._

_"New rule: From now on, there will be two prisoners in each cell in order to save room. Failure to follow this rule will result in a most painful death. If you're lucky."_

_She tried to stay awake, but no matter how she tried to fight it, she couldn't stop herself from slipping into the darkness. Next thing she knew, she waking up to the sound of her name._

_"Kagome."_

_Someone shook her._

_"Kagome. Wake up."_

_They shook her again. She mumbled some sort of protest, and they shook her again._

_"Wake up."_

_She blinked her eyes open and looked at them groggily. Her eyes widened._

_"S-sesshomaru?" She asked, now wide awake._

_They both stood up._

_"How did-? How are we-?" She asked in complete disbelief._

_"The new rule." He said simply._

_She sighed happily and threw herself into his arms. He stiffened for a moment before slowly allowing himself to hug her back._

_"I'm so glad... Now we don't have to be alone anymore..." She murmured._

_Without any warning, she leaned in and kissed his lips._

He completely froze and his mind seemed to run a complete blank all of a sudden. He had no idea what to do, didn't know how to react. Slowly, his body started to relax. He started to respond, completely losing himself in the feeling of her soft lips. It was the most amazing thing he'd ever experienced. Somehow, his hands found there way to her hips, where they now currently rested. He pulled her closer, wanting to feel every bit of her body pressing against his own.

After what felt like years, they finally pulled apart. They panted harshly in unison, and she smiled wickedly at him. Immediately he knew that she had something planned. Once again without warning, she kissed him. Her arms wrapped around his neck for a moment before she reached up and tangled her fingers in his hair. It was a feeling he decided that he rather liked. Out of nowhere, her tongue slipped into his mouth. He gasped slightly, unintentionally opening his mouth more, giving her more access. Unable stop himself, he moaned softly. She tasted good... Like something sweet that he couldn't quite seem to name.

Suddenly, he became aware of her hands wandering all over his body. It was exhilarating, as if she were casting a magical incantation sent to his body through her clever fingers to arouse and stimulate. He'd never felt anything like it before, and he didn't want her to stop.

Sesshomaru's mind was a blur. It was amazing how quickly Kagome could have this effect on him, but he rather enjoyed it. He wondered, though... Should he be doing something? Before he even had a chance to worry, her hands slipped under his shirt and came to rest on his stomach, causing his mind to go blank again. Before he even realized it, his shirt was off, and so was hers. There was some sort of strange fabric covering her chest, and he vaguely wondered what it was. He didn't spend much time wondering about it, though.

This time, he was the one to initiate the kiss. He felt awkward and inexperienced, which of course, he _was_, but Kagome didn't seem to mind, so he didn't let it bother him. Slowly, he could feel her hands begin to wander all over his body again. He felt something stir inside of him, something that he couldn't explain. He could feel his body start to react to her.

She reached a hand down and patted the front of his pants, feeling how hard he was, and he bit his lower lip to keep from letting out a surprised yelp. She could tell by his reactions that he was still innocent. She, however, was not, and she felt elated that she would be the first person to ever have him. And she sincerely wished that she would be the _only _person. Ever. She suddenly felt very possessive, and she kissed him a bit harder. He responded immediately, tilting his head slightly. Her hands slid down his sides, coming to rest at his hips. His sighed softly, shivering at her feathery-light touch. It felt so good t be touched by her.

He'd never once expressed it before, but he'd had strong feelings for her for a long time. He'd first noticed them several years before he'd joined her group, though it wasn't until just a couple years _after_ joining her group that he finally realized exactly what he felt for her. Being with her right now, despite everything that had happened, was the most wonderful thing in the world. It was like a dream come true.

Kagome too had strong feelings for him. She'd known about her feelings for quite a while longer than he had about his own, though. It felt wonderful to finally be able to act upon her urges, to make her midnight fantasies a reality. Though she was certain that this was the only time she'd ever get the chance. She'd just have to make the most out of it.

She gripped the waistband of his pants and slowly pulled them down. He leaned his head back against the wall and focused on the feel of her hands. She swallowed hard, her desire instantly seeming to multiply when she finally saw him for the first time. He was gorgeous, more amazing than she'd ever imagined. And she wanted all of him. Quickly pulling her own clothes off, she kissed him again, this time with more passion and desire than she even thought possible.

After what felt like an eternity, they both finally collapsed on the ground next to each other. They were exhausted, but happy. Complete. Wrapped in each other's arms, they both fell asleep, enjoying the first peaceful rest they'd had in ages.


	12. Finally Home

_After what felt like an eternity, they both finally collapsed on the ground next to each other. They were exhausted, but happy. Complete. Wrapped in each other's arms, they both fell asleep, enjoying the first peaceful rest they'd had in ages. _

As the months wore on, Kagome knew that they were in trouble.

_"Having children is forbidden. All mothers will be killed." _

Mizuki had told her that before, and yet she...

She hadn't seen Sesshomaru since that night. She knew he wasn't dead since he was alive in the present, but she feared that he was being tortured. She hoped tat he was just being put to work, but she had no way of knowing.

When she being to show, she was locked away in an isolated area, far away from everyone else. She had no food, no water for weeks. When they finally fed her, she pounced on the meager meal like a rabid animal. There wasn't much, and it was horribly rotten, and yet she devoured every crumb. Still, they gave her no water for several more days.

One day, she was finally released from her isolation. She was put to work, then locked away in her old cell. Sesshomaru was there too, though he wasn't conscious. He was barely breathing. He was ghostly pale, and soaked in his own blood. Her soul heavy with sadness, she moved over to him, lifted his head gently, laid it on her lap, and stroked his bloody, matted hair for endless hours until he finally started to stir.

He struggled to open his eyes, fought to regain full consciousness. Vaguely, he could hear someone speaking, though he wasn't quite sure who, or what they were saying. All he knew was that the voice was familiar, however slightly. When he finally managed to open his eyes, the first thing he saw was Kagome's face. He barely recognized her. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of sadness and desperation.

"You have to protect her."

What?

"You can't let her die. You have to take care of her."

Who?

"No matter what, never let anything happen to her."

What was she talking about? _Who_ was she talking about?

"Everything will be okay in the end. You'll see."

He didn't understand. WHat in the world was she talking about. How could she possibly be so hopeful, _here_ of all places?

"Go to sleep now. I'll still be here with you."

Reluctantly, he closed his eyes and let his exhaustion consume him.

When he next woke up, he was alone. For several weeks, he was alone. He was removed from his cell and tortured for a seemingly endless perios of time before being tossed back into his cell. He was left alone again. He remained alone for a long time. Until one day, he woke up to the sound of the door to his lonely little cell being opened. One of the two monster stepped in. He tensed, preparing himself to be dragged away and tortured again. Only this time, the monster stopped before it reached him. It lifted a bundle, something small and wrapped in cloth, and threw it at him. It landed on the floor at his feet. Without a word, it turned and left agin, leaving him alone.

A familiar scent drifted to his nose, only slightly different. A single word struggled to surface in his mind.

_Kagome_.

Had this belonged to her? Was something of her's wrapped inside of it? More importantly, why was it given to _him_? Slowly, hesitantly, as if unsure as to whether or not it was safe, he reached out and gently turned it over so he could see it. His eyes widened at what he saw. Immediately he understood. He understood what she'd told him before. Sadness fillled his heart.

_'I promise.'_ He though, hoping that somehow, some way, she could hear him.

Kagome's eyes blinked open. Where was she? What in the world had happened? She sat up slowly, blinking and squinting in the harsh sunlight. Her eyes widened and she sat up straighter.

_'Sunlight!'_

Before she had a chance to do anything, she heard someone calling her name.

"Kagome!"

"I-Inuyasha!" She called.

Then she heard a voice that made her heart swell with relief and love.

"Kagome!"

"Mizuki..."

Mizuki appeared out of nowhere and threw herself into Kagome's arms.

"I was so scared! I thought I was going to lose you..." She whimpered.

Kagome hugged her back and whispered reassuringly to her. Seconds later, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha appeared. Sesshomaru, much to her relief, was unharmed, though Inuyasha had somehow managed to get a nasty bruise on his left cheek. They both quickly went over to her. Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock aat her condition, while Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed and his gaze grew alightly distant. Something about her seemed familiar... Some old memeory was struggling to surface, but was still too far out of his reach for him to grasp. Kagome smiled at them, the same dazzling smile that no one had seen in over a hundred years, since before all of this began.

"I'm home." She whispered before everything began to spin and the world went black.

**A/N Eh... Sorry this one's so short. I tried to make the whole being in the past thing longer and her return more dramatic, but this is how it turned out, so... yeah. Sorry if anyone's unhappy with this, but it was really the best I could do, being an ameteur writer and all. Constructive criticism, anyone? I'd realy appreciate it. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it nonethless. Have a great day everyone!**


	13. Bullies

_Kagome's eyes blinked open. Where was she? What in the world had happened? She sat up slowly, blinking and squinting in the harsh sunlight. Her eyes widened and she sat up straighter._

_'Sunlight!'_

_Before she had a chance to do anything, she heard someone calling her name._

_"Kagome!"_

_"I-Inuyasha!" She called._

_Then she heard a voice that made her heart swell with relief and love._

_"Kagome!"_

_"Mizuki..."_

_Mizuki appeared out of nowhere and threw herself into Kagome's arms._

_"I was so scared! I thought I was going to lose you..." She whimpered._

_Kagome hugged her back and whispered reassuringly to her. Seconds later, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha appeared. Sesshomaru, much to her relief, was unharmed, though Inuyasha had somehow managed to get a nasty bruise on his left cheek. They both quickly went over to her. Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock aat her condition, while Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed and his gaze grew alightly distant. Something about her seemed familiar... Some old memeory was struggling to surface, but was still too far out of his reach for him to grasp. Kagome smiled at them, the same dazzling smile that no one had seen in over a hundred years, since before all of this began._

_"I'm home." She whispered before everything began to spin and the world went black. _

"Will she be okay?"

"Of course she will. She just needs lots of food, water, and rest."

"Do you really slay demons?"

"Yes, but only the evil ones. You're not evil, are you?"

"No!"

"Then I'm sure you're safe."

"...Who taught you how to heal?"

"Kagome did."

"Who taught her?"

"I don't know."

"...When will she wake up?"

"I don't know the answer to that either, little one. Why don't you go outside and play for a while? I'm sure Kari and Mao would love to meet you."

"Okay."

Mizuki ran outside and immediately tried to locate Inuyasha. Inuyasha was with Sesshomaru, showing him around. At least, so she'd heard. When she couldn't find them, she tried to make her way back to the house. She swallowed nervously when she realized she was lost.

_'Maybe it's this way...?' _

She wandered around for a while and only succeeded ingetting more lost. Suddenly, a group of boys approached her.

"Hey, are you that new girl?" Asked an older boy.

He was slightly taller than her, and definitely a human. He was obviously at least a year older than her.

"Yes." She said nervously.

"What are you doing here?" Another boy asked, using the same tone as his friend.

Their voices were full of contempt, and she was very wary of what they were planning to do.

"M-my friend is sick." Seh stammered. "Lady Sango is taking care of her."

Another boy snorted.

"Then why the hell are you all the way on the other side of the village?" He asked.

"I was trying to find Inuyasha and my dad. They-"

A fourth boy interrupted her.

"Ha! Inuyasha doesn't deal with scum like you!" He scoffed.

"Scum...?" She asked in a small voice.

_'Is that really all I am? Maybe it is. Only Daddy has ever loved me. Kagome is the only friend I've ever had. Maybe...'_

"Get out of our village!" Shouted one of the boys.

"What?" She asked in shock, taking a step back.

"Yeah! Get outta here!" Shouted another boy.

They each grabbed large, thick sticks that could easily be used as clubs and started to run toward her. Without thinking, she turned and ran. She had to get away. She couldn't take anotherbeating. Not again. Tears streamed down her face as horrible memories began to surface and fear clenched her heart. She ducked around a house and ran by a large rice field before skirting around a long strip of fence. She froze when she realized she'd hit a dead end. If she'd been older and stronger, she could have jumped to safety. But she was too young, too weak. She backed into a corner and slid down against the large wall. She hugged her knees to her chest and buried her face, whimpering softly. She could hear them coming. They were approaching fast, shouting horrible, cruel things at her. They were nearly upon her when a new voice sounded from behind them.

"Hey! Get away from her! Leave her alone!"

It was a female. The oldest boy, the first one who had spoken earlier, turned around and instantly dropped his stick.

"R-Rin-chan..." He stammered nervously.

Imediately, the other boys turned and dropped their sticks too. Mizuki looked up hesitatntly, tears still sliding down her face. There was a young girl there, about twelve years old, wearing an organge checkered kimono (A/N the one from the show, just bigger so it still fits). She was glaring furiously at the boys, her hands on her hips. A pack rested at her feet.

"What in the word do you think you're doing?!" She demanded, her eyes drting from on boy to another.

"W-well, we..." One boy stammered.

"We were sort of..." Another boy started.

"It was _his_ idea!" Shouted a third boy, pushing the oldest boy froward.

"I don't care _who's _idea it was!" Rin said angrily. "What I want to know is why you were chasinf that poor girl with a stick!"

"She's a demon!" The oldest boy said.

"So am I!" Rin said.

For the first time, Mizuki noticed the long fox tail swishing behind her, the elfen ears, and fox-like blue eyes.

"Yeah, but you're a _good_ demon! She's not!" The older boy said, pointing at Mizuki.

"Yeah! We heard she was from another world!" Said another boy.

"HAve you forgotten Kagome?" Rin demanded. "_She's _from another world, and you like _her_!"

"But she's not evil _or_ evil!" The boy said.

"And what makes you think _she_ is?!" Rin asked furiously.

WIthout waiting for a reply, she shoved past them and went over to Mizuki.

"Are you okay?" She asked gently, lowering her voice.

Mizuki nodded a tiny bit. Rin smiled sodtly at her.

"Come on, then. Let's get you out of her."

She helped Mizui up and took her hand. She led the way back to her pack, glaring at the boys as they passed, picked it up, and began walking somewhere.

"Thank you for helping me." Mizuki said quietly.

Rin smiled at her.

"You're welcome. Those boys are real pains. Someone needs to teach them a thing or two about what's proper."

_'She sounds almost like an adult.__' _Mizuki thought.

Suddenly, she noticed something.

"How are you a demon?" She asked. "You were born a human, weren't you?"

Rin blinked, seeming surprised.

"How could you tell?" She asked.

Mizuki shrugged.

"I dunno."

Rin smiled at her.

"You have many hidden abilities." She commented.

Mizuki looked at her.

"To answer your question, yes I was born a human." Rin said. "But I participated in a ritual to age like a fox demon. Over time, it changed me into one."

She smiled ruefully.

"I can't be a prietess and a demon at the same time." She said.

Mizuki tilted her head.

"You were training to be a priestess like Kagome?" She asked.

Rin nodded,

"Yes, but that's when Kikyo and I discovered my transformation."

She looked at Mizuki seriously.

"Is Kagome still human?" She asked.

Mizuki tilted her head again.

"Yes. Why?"

Rin looked away, smiling and shaking her head lightly.

"Never mind." She said. "Now then, where were you going before they found you?"

"I was trying to find my way back to Lady Sango's house."

"You know Sango?"

"Uh-huh."

She quickly explained about how Sango was taking care of Kagome, though she left out everything else. If it was important for Rin to know, one of the adults would tell her. Rin quickly led the way back to Sango's house and ran inside.

"Rin!" Sango exclaimed. "Why are you back so-"

She cut herself off with a small "oh" when she saw how Rin had changed.

"You too, huh?" She asked, her thin black cat tail twitching ever so slightly.

Rin nodded. Sango's eyes were similar to Rin's, just more of a black color. She also had elfen ears.

"How is she?" Rin asked, letting go of Mizuki's hand and walking over to where Kagome slept.

"She'll live, but it will be a long time before she'd comepletely recovered." Sango replied.

"What happened?"

Sango shook her head.

"I'm afraid only she knows."

Without another word, Rin sat down next to her adoptive mother and held her hand. Just then, Inuyasha burst into the room.


	14. Waking Hours

_She quickly explained about how Sango was taking care of Kagome, though she left out everything else. If it was important for Rin to know, one of the adults would tell her. Rin quickly led the way back to Sango's house and ran inside._

_"Rin!" Sango exclaimed. "Why are you back so-"_

_She cut herself off with a small "oh" when she saw how Rin had changed._

_"You too, huh?" She asked, her thin black cat tail twitching ever so slightly._

_Rin nodded. Sango's eyes were similar to Rin's, just more of a black color. She also had elfen ears._

_"How is she?" Rin asked, letting go of Mizuki's hand and walking over to where Kagome slept._

_"She'll live, but it will be a long time before she'd comepletely recovered." Sango replied._

_"What happened?"_

_Sango shook her head._

_"I'm afraid only she knows."_

_Without another word, Rin sat down next to her adoptive mother and held her hand. Just then, Inuyasha burst into the room._

"I smell fox!" He exclaimed, obviously not recognizing the scent.

Suddenly, his eyes locked on Rin.

"Rin? You are- how did- ...What?" He asked, confusion written all over his face.

Sesshomaru stood a few feet behind him, peering over his shoulder curiously from just inside the doorway. No one seemed to notice him.

"Remember the rituals?" Sango asked.

Inuyasha nodded.

"Apparently these are the 'extra affects' we were warned about." She said.

"So why hasn't Kagome changed yet?" He asked.

"I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the ritual she did." Sango replied, shaking her head slowly.

Suddenly, Mizuki noticed who else was there. A wide smile spread across her face and she ran behind Inuyasha. She threw her arms around Sesshomaru and he picked her up. Immediately she began telling him about her day while Sango and Rin stared at him in shock.

"-and then there were these mean boys, and they started chasing me, and I got scared and ran away, but I got trapped and I thought they were going to get me, but Rin saved me, and she helped me find my way back here, and I never want to get lost again!"

Finally, she sucked in a breath. His eyes sparkled with amusement and he couldn't help but smile at her a little.

"How can someone so small hold so much air?" Sango asked, smiling at her as well.

Rin laughed a little, soon followed by Mizuki herself.

"I guess i did sound a little silly, huh?" She asked.

Before anyone had a chance to respond, some villagers started shouting.

"Demons!"

"Run for your lives!"

"Demons are coming!"

"_Now_ what?" Inuyasha growled.

"Will you guys _relax_? It's just me, for god sake!" Shouted a familiar voice.

Rin's face brightened and she immediately got to her feet and ran out the door. Everyone else soon followed, even Sesshomaru, though he stayed a little ways away.

"Shippo!" Rin cried happily, throwing her arms around her closest friend.

Shippo blushed a little and hugged her back.

"Hey Rin!" He said. "How've you been?"

Rin pulled back and smiled.

"Pretty good. But there're a few things you should see." She said.

"Like what?" He asked.

As soon as the words passed his lips he noticed it. His eyes widened.

"Rin!" He exclaimed. "You're...!"

She nodded, still smiling.

"And we have a new friend." She said.

Hesitantly, Mizuki came forward. Shippo smiled at her and kneeled down so that they were eye-to-eye.

"Hi. I'm Shippo." He said. "What's your name?"

"Um... I'm Mizuki..." She said quietly, still very hesitant.

"Mizuki, huh? I used to know a girl with that same name." He said.

"Really?" She asked curiously.

"Uh-huh. She was a bit older than you, though." He said.

Before their conversation had a chance to continue, Rin came running out of the house where she'd been for the pas few minutes.

"Quick! She's waking up!" She shouted before disappearing back inside.

"Who?" Shippo asked in confusion.

"Come on!" Inuyasha yelled without giving an explanation.

Without another word, everyone disappeared inside the house. Sesshomaru's heart pounded with a strange, vaguely familiar emotion. Trying his best to ignore the feeling, he followed everyone inside to see her.


	15. Seconds, Anyone?

_Before their conversation had a chance to continue, Rin came running out of the house where she'd been for the past few minutes._

_"Quick! She's waking up!" She shouted before disappearing back inside._

_"Who?" Shippo asked in confusion._

_"Come on!" Inuyasha yelled without giving an explanation._

_Without another word, everyone disappeared inside the house. Sesshomaru's heart pounded with a strange, vaguely familiar emotion. Trying his best to ignore the feeling, he followed everyone inside to see her._

Kagome's whole body ached. Her stomach hurt worse than the rest of her, due to her hunger. She fought to open her eyes. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was... Mizuki. She sat bolt upright. Almost immediately she was met with the site of a very familiar person.

"Easy Kagome!" Sango exclaimed, her voice laced with concern.

"S-Sango?" She stammered in confusion. "Am I...?"

Sango nodded, a smile on her face.

"Yes." She confirmed softly. "You're home."

Kagome's body sagged with relief. Finally home... Finally safe.

"What about Mizuki? And Sesshomaru? Are they-"

"They're fine. I promise."

Before Kagome had a chance to ask any more questions, Sango continued.

"You hungry?" She asked.

Kagome nodded eagerly. Sango smiled.

"Good. I have some food cooking already." She said.

She smiled wider.

"Don't worry, I made sure that there was enough for everyone."

Kagome returned her friend's smile.

"That's good. Especially if Inuyasha's hungry."

Suddenly, Kagome noticed how empty the house was.

"Where is everyone?" She asked.

"Everyone was here earlier. You started to regain consciousness about four or five hours ago, but you drifted off again." Sango explained. "I made everyone go get some fresh air about ten minutes ago."

"Oh."

There was silence for a moment while Sango stirred whatever she was cooking.

"When will they be back?" Kagome asked.

"I don't know." Sango replied. "But knowing them, it could be any minute now."

The second she finished her sentence, Rin came running in.

"Kagome!"

Rin threw her arms around her and Kagome smiled as she returned her adopted daughter's hug.

"Hey, little fox." She murmured.

Rin giggled at the sound of Kagome's old nickname for her. It felt so good to hear her adoptive mother's voice again, after so long...

"promise me you won't ever go away again." Rin said quietly.

Kagome smiled.

"I promise..." She murmured.

She put her hands on Rin's shoulder and pushed her back a bit.

"Let me get a look at you." She said.

She smiled even wider.

"You're beautiful, you know that?"

Rin brightened at the compliment, simple as it was.

"That bright orange fur of yours fits you. Especially since it's your favorite color." Kagome said. "When did this happen?"

"While I was out training with Lady Kikyo." Rin replied. "That's why we came back early."

"Ah. Where were you guys at?"

"We were in the woods by the Meadow near the village where you like to go clothes shopping."

"That makes sense. The woods there aren't that dangerous, so it's the perfect place for an inexperienced fighter to train."

"That's what she said."

Kagome looked over at Sango.

"When did it happen to you?" She asked.

"Hm... I'd say about three months ago, give or take." Sango replied.

"Did it happen to Miroku and the kids, too?" Kagome asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Wow. So why haven't _I_ changed?"

"That's a good question... Unfortunately, I don't have a very good answer."

They both laughed a little before Sango got up and handed her some food.

"Here. Eat up." She said with a smile.

Kagome smiled gratefully before shoveling the food into her mouth. She almost felt like crying in pure joy.

_'It's so good...' _

Both Rin and Sango laughed a bit at her and glared lightly at them before resuming her rapid eating. When she was done, Rin couldn't seem to resist making a smart-alack (A/N did I spell that right?) remark.

"Did you even taste that?" She asked.

"C'mere, you!"

Rin squealed when Kagome grabbed her and began to tickle her. Sango watched them playing around with a smile.

_'She'll be okay. There's no doubt about it. She just needs some time... That's all.' _

"Who's up for seconds?" She asked with a grin.

Kagome's hand shot up.

"ME!"


	16. Family Reunion

_Rin squealed when Kagome grabbed her and began to tickle her. Sango watched them playing around with a smile._

_'She'll be okay. There's no doubt about it. She just needs some time... That's all.'_

_"Who's up for seconds?" She asked with a grin._

_Kagome's hand shot up._

_"ME!" _

While Kagome worked on finishing her fourth bowl of food, Sango talked to her.

"Kagome, what on earth happened to you? Mizuki said you were attack by some man, but disappeared when his attack hit you."

"I don't know who that man was, or why he sent me there." Kagome said slowly, lowering her bowl. "And I'd rather not discuss what happened while there are children in the room."

She glanced at Rin, who was standing by the door looking for the others. She didn't seem to hear what Kagome said. Sango also glanced at Rin before nodding in understanding. Considering Kagome's condition, it wasn't hard to guess that whatever had happened to her had been rather gruesome and horrific. Suddenly, Rin's ears perked straight up.

"They're coming!" She shouted excitedly, pointing out the door and smiling widely at Kagome.

Kagome smiled as well. She couldn't wait to see everyone, _especially_ her family. Suddenly, a question popped into her mind.

"How long was I unconscious?" She asked, looking at Sango.

"About a month. And that was even before they got you back here from wherever you all were before." Sango replied. "In total... My guess would be about a month and a half."

"That long?" Kagome asked, clearly surprised.

Sango nodded.

"And just so you know, your boyfriend may need some comforting." She said smiling a bit and winking, causing Kagome to blush a deep crimson and look away. "He seemed pretty shaken up seeing you like that."

_'That's understandable... There's no telling how many people he saw in similar condition in that place. All of them just laying there... dead.' _

Just then, her friends began pouring into the room.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha exclaimed, relief flooding his voice.

Before she had a chance to reply, Shippo flung himself into her arms.

"Momma! You're okay!" He exclaimed, crying with pure joy.

"Of course she is... She's a very strong woman." Kikyo murmured, smiling at Kagome.

Kagome returned her friend's smile and proceed to try to comfort her son. Suddenly, a thought struck her. Where was Mizuki? She was about to ask when Mizuki came running into the room, soon followed by Sesshomaru, who came in more slowly. Mizuki also flung herself into her arms, and Kagome began to try to comfort both of them. While she was doing that, she looked at Sesshomaru. He didn't speak, but really, he didn't need to. His eyes said it all. She'd never seen that look in his eyes before... Had he been just about anyone else, she would have thought he was ready to cry. But of course, she knew full well that he didn't cry. Sango got up and shooed everyone outside. Everyone except Sesshomaru and Mizuki, that is. She even pushed Miroku and their kids back out the door before they even had a chance to get inside. She closed the door behind them. Kagome made a mental note to thank her friend for the privacy later. Mizuki was already sound asleep in her arms, and Kagome couldn't help but smile.

_'You have a mother after all... And I won't ever leave you again.' _

She looked up and called out softly to the man in the doorway.

"Sesshomaru... Come here. You don't have to stay over there by yourself." She said gently, hoping he would come.

He hesitated for a long moment, body tense, eyes wary, before finally walking over to her. He sat down a few feet away from her to her right, and she didn't try to make him come any closer. It was obvious that he was already uncomfortable with their proximity to each other, and she didn't want to make him more uncomfortable. After a few moments, she gently laid Mizuki down on the bed to her left and moved to face him. He tensed slightly again, though he didn't move away.

"I missed you so much..." She murmured, her eyes shining with happiness and love, though she noticed that he didn't seem to recognize that second feeling.

She smiled gently at him, wishing she could help him remember somehow. She wished she could take away all the hurt, erase all the pain. She would gladly go back in time and take his place if she could.

Her smile dazzled him, almost as though he'd just looked directly at the sun. He rapidly, noticing that his heart was beginning to race. He was unsettled by the feeling, and he did his best to ignore it. Just then, Kagome spoke, pulling him from his puzzled thoughts.

"Did anything major happen while I was... asleep?" She asked quietly.

He frowned slightly. Besides coming to this village, nothing had really happened. ...Except... He pushed the thought away, not wanting to think about it.

Kagome watched him closely. She knew something was bothering him. Something he wouldn't say. She thought hard. How could she get him to speak up? Not really knowing what else to do, she just began talking.

"Sesshomaru, what's wrong?" She asked quietly, being careful not to wake the sleeping child next to her. "What happened?"

He was silent. He clearly didn't want to talk about it. She knew that she probably shouldn't push him, but she did anyway.

"Sesshomaru, please talk to me. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."

Immediately his mind flashed back to a previous conversation he'd had with her.

_"Will you at least let me bandage your wounds?" She asked, seeming genuinely concerned._

_He was quiet for a moment before finally speaking._

_"Why do you even care?" He asked, not looking at her._

_He was looking down at the ground now, refusing to meet her gaze._

_"Like I said before, we used to be friends. We still _are _friends." She said. _

He still didn't understand. What were "friends", anyway? The word was vaguely familiar, but he still had no idea what it meant.

Resigning himself to the fact that she probably wouldn't stop bugging him until she found out, he told her.

Her eyes widened at his words.

"You saw someone who helped torture people there? _Here_?" She asked in shock.

He shook his head.

"Not here. In the mountains. And I didn't _see_ him." He said simply.

"You smelled him?" She questioned.

He nodded.

"But you're _sure_ the guy was dead?" She asked.

He nodded, though it was clear that, dead or not, smelling that person had shaken him up. Not even thinking, she reached over and pulled him into her tight embrace, causing him to tense.

His heart was pounding. Anxiety nearly caused him to panic. He hated being touched. _Hated_ it. And yet, he couldn't help but relax when he heard her voice.

She was singing. She didn't know why, but she felt like she just had to comfort him somehow, and this was the only way she knew how to do it. Closing her eyes, she focused on her song.

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow _  
_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow _  
_Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes _  
_And when again they open, the sun will rise. _

_Here it's safe, here it's warm _  
_Here the daisies guard you from every harm _  
_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true _  
_Here is the place where I love you. _

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away _  
_A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray _  
_Forget your woes and let your troubles lay _  
_And when again it's morning, they'll wash away. _

_Here it's safe, here it's warm _  
_Here the daisies guard you from every harm _  
_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true _  
_Here is the place where I love you. _

_Badadadada... _

_Here is the place where I love you. _

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away _  
_A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray _  
_Forget your woes and let your troubles lay _  
_And when again it's morning, they'll wash away. _

_Here it's safe, here it's warm _  
_Here the daisies guard you from every harm _  
_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true _  
_Here is the place where I love you. _

By the time she was finished, he was asleep. It was the first time she'd seen him sleep since that light sleep he'd had before she'd gone back in time. She saw the dark circles under his eyes, and she gently traced one with her finger. He didn't even stir.

_'They must have used sleep deprivation on him, too. Extreme sleep deprivation is a rather severe form of torture...' _

Her hand trailed down to his chest, and her heart grew heavy with worry when she realized she could feel every single one of his ribs. And her other arm, the one that was still wrapped around him, holding him close to her, was resting against his spine. She was almost certain that she could feel every vertebrae (A/N did I spell that right?) in his spine. He didn't look like it, but he was clearly on the verge of being completely emaciated.

_'When he wakes up, I'll have to make him eat. He can't go on much longer without food. He's already dangerously thin. But for now... He needs to sleep.' _

Smiling gently at him, she laid him down next to her and carefully moved their sleeping daughter so that she was right there in front of him. She watched with a smile as Mizuki snuggled up to him in her sleep, somehow managing to wriggle under his arm. His arm tightened protectively around her, and he seemed to relax a bit more than he already had been. Still smiling, she laid down next to them. By the time the others came back inside, she was already asleep.

**A/N That was Rue's Lullaby from The Hunger Games. **


End file.
